PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government will make a decision on opening business outlets after a meeting of the National Coordination Committee (NCC), which is scheduled to meet in Islamabad on May 9. Prime Minister Imran Khan will chair the NCC meeting.

Officials said that the provincial government was likely to announce opening of businesses for pre-Eid shopping in Peshawar on May 9, which would be extended to other cities and towns gradually.

They said that shopkeepers would give undertaking to the district administration that they would follow the standard operating procedures (SOPs).

An official said that leaders of traders associations in Peshawar had already been taken on board in this regard. He said that business community had submitted proposals for opening of different outlets on three-day rotation basis to enable people to buy essential items and protect the traders from further financial losses as they had suffered due to the prolonged lockdown in the wake of Covid-19 pandemic.

CM says govt devising strategy to mitigate traders’ problems

When contacted, CM’s adviser on information Ajmal Wazir told Dawn that the decision regarding conditional opening of businesses in Peshawar would be taken after the NCC meeting. He said that Chief Minister Mahmood Khan would brief the committee about the consultations made with traders of the province.

“The provincial government will grant conditional permission to businesses to open on the same day the NCC would meet or a day after the meeting,” he said.

All businesses except few essential ones like medicines, grocery, milk shops, auto-workshops, etc were closed on March 21 in an attempt to contain the spread of Covid-19.

The chief minister met a delegation of small traders here on Tuesday and discussed with them matters related to opening of some business outlets in view of Ramazan and upcoming Eid, said an official statement.

He said that keeping in view the problems being faced by traders as well as general public, the government was considering the option of opening some essential businesses under a specific schedule subject to the implementation of SOPs and guidelines.

He said the government was working to devise a workable strategy to this effect and the traders would hear good news soon in this regard. He assured the government would do whatever it could to mitigate the sufferings of business community while ensuring safety of general public against coronavirus.

The chief minister urged the traders to play their role in implementation of social distancing and other preventive measures.

Markazi Tanzeem-i-Tajiran, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, president Malik Meher Ilahi during a meeting with Peshawar Commissioner Amjad Ali Khan proposed complete opening of car and furniture showrooms, jewellers and embroidery shops, property dealers’ offices, electronics goods and Gur markets, tailoring shops, workshops and carpenters’ shops and factories.

It was suggested that the shops of cloth, garments, tailoring, sewing materials, readymade boutiques, cosmetics, spare parts, shoemakers, new and old tyres, rubber scrape, Peshawari chappal, plastic footwear, foam, curtain cloth, quilts, beds, caps, turbans, juice shops, rent-a-car and hairdressers should be opened for three days a week.

Published in Dawn, May 6th, 2020