LAHORE: All Pakistan Anjuman-i-Tajran (APAT) on Saturday termed the ongoing lockdown discriminatory, oppressive and vague and appealed to the chief justice of Pakistan to take suo motu notice of it as the government seemed least concerned about the economy of the country.

“You (the CJP) are the highest court of providing justice to the people of Pakistan. And since this government is bent on destroying the economy and oppressing small traders on the pretext of coronavirus lockdown, you are the only hope for us. So please use your constitutional powers and take notice of what this government is doing to us,” APAT central general secretary Naeem Mir told a press conference.

“We believe this is not at all a lockdown but just discrimination, confusion and nepotism and source of corruption for police,” Mr Mir, who was flanked by office-bearers of local markets’ bodies, deplored.

He said the federal government and provinces were not on the same page with regard to lockdown. The government opened construction industry, “but its chain is closed.”

He alleged that if someone desired to even open shutter of shop for checking goods, material lying there, police immediately raided and went away after ‘taking money’ (Rs500 to Rs1,000 from each shopkeeper).

Published in Dawn, April 19th, 2020