PESHAWAR: Owners of beauty salons and barbershops on Monday expressed serious concern over the administration’s move towards smart lockdown in different areas, and demanded of the government to allow them to continue their business or compensate them for the financial losses.

Holding banners and placards inscribed with their demands a group of barbers held a protest demonstration outside the Peshawar Press Club and demanded an end to the restrictions.

Talking to mediapersons, Mohammad Sharif, president of Sulemani frontier provincial hairdresser and beautician association, said barbershops and beauty salons remained shut throughout Ramazan, causing huge financial losses to the owners, but the government did not compensate them.

He said the owners of barbershops and beauty parlours had extended full cooperation to the administration, adding the government compensated people dealing in different businesses but they were (barbers) totally ignored.

Mr Sharif said barbers were following the SOPs as per government decision to contain the coronavirus. The barbers, he said had no other source of income, adding the government should announce relief package for them.

Other protesters said the hairdressers had provided jobs to thousands of workers, but the lockdown had rendered them joblessness.

They also demanded an end to the raids on their shops on Saturdays and Sundays saying most customers visit the outlets on weekend.

Published in Dawn, June 30th, 2020