PESHAWAR: The elected bodies of traders, including the Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry, have rejected the government’s decisions on coronavirus control and called for a meeting of all stakeholders to devise an effective strategy to remove unrest among the business community.

Representatives of Peshawar traders told a presser on Monday that the government had left business people at the mercy of the district administration’s raiding teams, which fined them on different pretexts.

They complained that the relevant ministers didn’t take their telephonic calls.

Haji Ishtiaq Ahmed, Abdur Razzaq, Zafar Khattak, Haji Shah Mohammad and many others said the government had adopted a unilateral policy on coronavirus control and didn’t consult the representatives of business community.

Call for meeting of stakeholders

“We are ready to extend cooperation to the government even if curfew is imposed for the protection of the citizens from the virus. However, the government should convene a meeting of stakeholders to share views on how to handle the pandemic within the shortest possible time,” Haji Ishtiaq said.

The leaders said small-scale traders were the worst affected in the prevailing circumstances as they struggled to manage things with limited income and that they were unable to afford further lockdown.

They warned that the traders had to open shops under compulsion and if they’re consulted, the entire responsibility of any mishap would be with the government.

Meanwhile, the SCCI held a meeting with its president, Maqsood Pervaiz, in chair.

The participants termed the government’s decision to close grocery stores at 4pm as an ‘economic genocide’ of traders and demanded the fixing of timings for the opening of markets and shops in consultation with the traders to prevent the business community from suffering further losses.

Former FPCCI president Ghazanfar Bilour, SCCI senior vice-president Shahid Hussain and vice- president Abdul Jalil Jan and former presidents Riaz Arshad, Haji Mohammad Afzal and Adeel Rauf and Anjumane Tajaran Peshawar chairman Shaukat Ali Khan said the unilateral decisions of the government on lockdown were unacceptable to them.

They urged the government to take decisions and adopt policies in consultation with the SCCI and trader bodies saying this will bring all stakeholders on one page and stop the daily scuffles among police and traders over lockdown.

The leaders of businesspersons and traders said members of their community could no longer afford lockdowns.

They said instead of closing shops, the government should open businesses in a phased manner with very strict SOPs to contain coronavirus.

Mr Pervaiz asked the government to take measures for the relief of traders instead of further adding to their misery caused by lockdown.

He said the government’s decision to close shop at 4pm had created disappointment and unrest among the faithful as the buyers usually went to markets after 4pm.

The participants said there was a contradiction between the stand of Prime Minister Imran Khan and the decisions of the provincial government on the coronavirus-induced situation.

They urged the premier to take notice of the sufferings of the business community and daily wagers.

Published in Dawn, April 28th, 2020