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| September 10, 2005 | Saturday | Sha’aban 5, 1426 |
No business at wholesale markets in Lahore
LAHORE, Sept 9; Almost all the wholesale markets remained closed in the provincial metropolis on Friday in response to the opposition strike call, but most retail markets opened as usual. Public transport was not paralysed completely but fewer buses and wagons came on the road because the owners were afraid of the damage being caused to their vehicles by the opposition activists. Fewer buses plied on inter-city routes as well because of the marked decrease in the number of passengers.
The strike remained peaceful despite the atmosphere of fear created due to the large scale publicity given to it by the government and the threats of action against the shopkeepers opening the shops by the opposition. No untoward incident was reported from anywhere due to deployment of police at all the markets and bazaars.
Wholesale markets like the Akbari Mandi, Shahalam, Badami Bagh autoparts market,Brandreth Road, Hall Road, Sooha Bazaar, Lohari medicine market, Dabbi Bazaar, Kasera Bazaar, Kashmiri Bazaar and Nila Gunbad remained closed because the traders did not expect the customers from other cities and towns on account of strike. Most of the shops on the Shahrah-i-Quaid-i-Azam and Mansoora near Multan Road Chungi also remained closed.
Most of the retail markets opened as usual but were visited by fewer number of customers. Most of the people did not visit the markets for shopping because they were doubtful about the opening of the shops on account of strike.
Attendance in government offices and educational institutions remained thin on account of strike. A sizeable number of parents did not send their children to schools due to concern about their safety and, in some case, unavailability of transport.
The opposition and the government made conflicting claims about the strike. The opposition claimed that the strike was a big success but the government described it a complete failure.
Lahore Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal President and MNA Hafiz Salman Butt and Secretary General Maulana Saifuddin Saif told a press conference that the people had responded positively to the strike call. They said even the traders who did not support such calls in the past had responded positively and kept their shutters down in support of the opposition’s demands.
They said that the success of strike was a vote of no confidence against the government. They, however, criticised some TV channles for what they described as an irresponsible coverage of the strike.
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