SIALKOT, May 30: The Auqaf department, with the help of a police contingent, sealed Daska city’s main Al-Ghani Shopping Plaza on Monday owing to non-payment of rent by its management. The Auqaf department had allotted a piece of land to Amin Sajjad Heera on a lease for 30 years on July 20, 1998. He constructed a plaza here, but did not pay the rent amounting to Rs2.5 million to the department. The department asked him to pay the dues, but he failed to do so.

The Auqaf officials said: “We will unseal the plaza having some 80 shops after the payment of the dues.”

Meanwhile, the affected shopkeepers told newsmen that they had been regularly paying rent to Mr Heera who did not deposit the same with the auqaf department.

They urged the higher officials to unseal the plaza. They said they were ready to pay rent directly to the auqaf department.

However, the sealing of shopping plaza has created a panic among the traders’ community.