PESHAWAR: Various political parties have assured full support to the shutter down strike call given by the business community for Saturday (today) against imposition of additional taxes and directed their workers to participate in the rallies of traders in their respective areas.

Jamaat-i-Islami provincial chief Senator Mushtaq Ahmed Khan, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz provincial president Amir Muqam, Pakistan Peoples Party provincial vice-president Syed Ayub Shah and Awami National Party provincial general secretary Sardar Hussain Babak said here on Friday that workers of their parties would support the shutter down strike.

Senator Mushtaq said in a statement here on Friday that the government’s faulty policies brought the business activities to a standstill which had led to unprecedented increase in prices of daily use commodities.

In the prevailing situation, he said the business community was left with the only option to observe strike. He said that the JI workers in respective areas would fully support the traders’ strike.

PML-N provincial president Amir Muqam also asked his party office-bearers to participate in the protest rallies of traders in respective districts.

He also expressed concern over increase in the price of roti and described it a complete failure of the government.

The PPP and ANP leaders said that traders had announced the shutter down strike in a state of compulsion due to imposition of additional taxes. They said that all the opposition parties would support the traders’ strike.

Similarly, executive committee of Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry through a resolution formally announced to participate in the traders’ strike against imposition of additional taxes, documentation for retailers, etc.

Presiding over a meeting of the chamber’s executive committee, SCCI president Faiz Mohammad Faizi said that the business community would observe strike on Saturday (today) against the government’s tough budgetary measures. To express solidarity with the traders, the meeting decided that the chamber house would remain closed on Saturday (today).

Published in Dawn, July 13th, 2019