LAHORE: All-Pakistan Anjuman-i-Tajiran (APAT) General Secretary Naeem Mir has said it doesn’t behoove any trader to hurl threats at anyone while the government should remove banners against the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf.

“All trade organisations are non-political and they should prove that they are really non-political,” said Mr Mir at a news conference at the Lahore Press Club on Wednesday.

“A trader in his personal capacity is free to join any political party and support its cause. If any trader wants to close his shop on Dec 15 to show solidarity with the protest of the PTI, he should not be forced to keep his business open,” said the APAT general secretary, who was flanked by representatives of all major city markets.

“It is undemocratic to stop traders, having affiliation with the PTI, by force from supporting their party’s protest demonstrations. We condemn this dictatorial attitude of the PML-N trader groups. Every trader, who has affiliation with the PTI, should be allowed to attend any protest held in his area, market or bazaar and other trader groups of opposite political parties should not interfere in this regard.”

Mr Mir said some traders, at the behest of the government, attempted to damage the peaceful atmosphere of the provincial capital as they threatened to attack the PTI traders physically, besides abusing the PTI leadership, which would create clashes among the business community.

“The Lahore police should detain till Dec 20 all those traders who held a press conference the other day to ensure peace in city. Traders who agreed to the PTI agenda will attend its protest rally. Trade organisations can appeal for shutter down in case situation turns tense.

“Every office-bearer of a trade body has affiliation with some political party but these trade leaders should work for the cause of businessmen instead of working for political parties,” said Mr Mir while urging the Lahore CCPO and the DIG operations to call a meeting of all trader groups of the city and prepare a programme after consensus to avoid any clash on Dec 15.

The news conference was also attended by APAT Lahore chapter president Agha Adnan, chairman Rana Shahbaz, general secretary Malik Tahir, Abdul Wadood Alvi, Sheikh Irfan Iqbal, Ali Nusrat Butt, Malik Faiz, Khalil Bhatti, Sheikh Israr, Chaudhry Imran Iqbal, Nadim Paracha, Rana Assad and Khizar Hayat Khan.

Published in Dawn December 4th , 2014