demonstration
DLP Report
PESHAWAR
Traders community on Wednesday staged a protest demonstration at Ghanta Ghar area of the provincial capital against the early closure of markets in the name of energy conservation, imposition of heavy fines and the forced installation of point-of-sale (POS) devices.
The protest has been organised by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Traders Association.
In a joint statement, association president Malik Mehar Elahi, Peshawar Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Shakeel Ahmed Khan Saraf and traders’ leader Shahzad Ahmed Siddiqui criticised the government’s economic policies and termed the recent restrictions on business timings detrimental to commercial activities.
They said the closure of markets under the pretext of energy conservation had badly affected businesses at a time when traders were preparing for the Eidul Azha shopping season, considered one of the busiest periods of the year after Ramazan.
The business leaders said that due to the hot weather and local traditions in Peshawar, most citizens preferred shopping during evening hours after completing their daily work, but the closure of markets and actions by raiding teams had severely disrupted business activity.
They claimed that small shopkeepers were facing financial hardship and accused the government of shifting the economic burden onto traders and low-income groups instead of reducing the expenditures and privileges of the elite class.
Expressing concern over the mandatory installation of POS devices, the traders’ representatives said many small traders in the province lacked the education and technical skills required to operate digital systems.
They said it was not feasible for small businesses to hire separate computer operators or technical staff to manage such systems, adding that administrative pressure had created anxiety and insecurity within the business community.
The traders warned that if the administration failed to stop what they termed harassment of traders, the protest at Ghanta Ghar would become the starting point of a larger movement against government policies.
