BAJAUR: Traders and other residents of Khar town of Bajaur tribal district staged a protest sit-in here in main bazaar against the alleged forced closure of shops and detention of vendors by the district administration for not following the standard operating procedures (SOPs) to stop the spread of coronavirus.

The demonstration was held soon after the administration’s action to arrest shopkeepers for violating the safety measures on Thursday evening.

The protest sit-in held at the main chowk in Khar bazaar continued for about one and a half hours. The participants also burnt tyers and closed the road to traffic while asking the administration to release the detainees immediately.

Bajaur Youth Jirga chairman Wajid Ali Shah, JUI-F Khar tehsil chief Maulana Ziaullah Jan, Sartaj Aziz and others addressed the protesters and criticised the administration for arresting the vendors and closing their shops forcibly.

The speakers termed the action taken by a team of administration’s officials as unfair and an attempt to disturb the vendors. They said that the traders had always cooperated with the administration in fight against Covid-19 in the region by strictly following its instructions to contain coronavirus.

The protesters ended their sit-in when the administration released all the vendors.

Meanwhile, the civil defence department launched a campaign in Bajaur district’s Khar bazaar to create awareness among people of safety measures against Covid-19.

The civil defence officials highlighted the basic safety measures against coronavirus on the first day of the campaign. Scores of people, including vendors, present on the occasion took keen interest in the basic guidelines.

Published in Dawn, June 20th, 2020