RAWALPINDI: Instead of improving security measures in bazaars and other public places, the local police and district administration sent out notices to traders, asking them to adopt security measures, which has led to traders threatening to hold protests.

In notices sent to shop owners on Jinnah Road on Thursday, the traders were asked to deploy a security guard at their shop, install CCTV cameras, an alarm system, fire extinguishers and safe lockers.

“Traders are already facing financial problems and making these arrangements is going to worsen their problems,” Nasir Mir, the secretary general of Sanitary and Pipe Traders Association told Dawn.

He said that instead of ensuring everyone is safe, the PML-N led government is now forcing people to hire security guards.

“Not all the traders can bear the additional expense of paying a guard Rs20,000 every month,” he said.

“We pay taxes and get nothing in return from the government. Providing a safe environment is the government’s responsibility, in which it has failed,” he added.

The president of the Rawalpindi Traders Association Sheikh Siddique told Dawn that traders would meet the district coordination officer and the city police officer to register their complaints about the misuse of authority.

“We will make arrangements for securing bazaars and markets if the prime minister will pay for his security from his own pocket,” he said. “We all pay taxes including sales tax, income tax and property tax and the government is using all the tax money for running offshore companies instead of using it to facilitate the common man,” Mr Siddique said.

A senior official of the district administration told Dawn that the notices were issued under the Punjab Security of Vulnerable Establishment Ordinance 2015. He did admit that the law does not apply to traders and common shopkeepers and is only applicable to those who are facing a security threat.

“The advisory committees under the Punjab Security of Vulnerable Establishment Ordinance 2015 have detected 6,082 vulnerable sites including schools, colleges, mosques, seminaries and shopping malls which have not yet adopted security measures. But shopkeepers and common traders were not included in the list,” he said.

Published in Dawn, April 29th, 2016

Opinion

Editorial

Judiciary’s SOS
Updated 28 Mar, 2024

Judiciary’s SOS

The ball is now in CJP Isa’s court, and he will feel pressure to take action.
Data protection
28 Mar, 2024

Data protection

WHAT do we want? Data protection laws. When do we want them? Immediately. Without delay, if we are to prevent ...
Selling humans
28 Mar, 2024

Selling humans

HUMAN traders feed off economic distress; they peddle promises of a better life to the impoverished who, mired in...
New terror wave
Updated 27 Mar, 2024

New terror wave

The time has come for decisive government action against militancy.
Development costs
27 Mar, 2024

Development costs

A HEFTY escalation of 30pc in the cost of ongoing federal development schemes is one of the many decisions where the...
Aitchison controversy
Updated 27 Mar, 2024

Aitchison controversy

It is hoped that higher authorities realise that politics and nepotism have no place in schools.