LAHORE: The All Pakistan Anjuman-i-Tajiran on Monday rejected the Eid holidays and lockdown from May 8 to 17 and announced that they would keep shops opened till Chand Raat (moon night).

“We reject this announcement as the small traders and shopkeepers are already in great trouble due to limited timings of markets (from 9am to 6pm) for five days a week. This is also causing a huge rush of shoppers in the markets, spreading virus fast,” APAT General Secretary Naeem Mir said in a press release.

He asked the government to stop flag march, stop harassing traders and allow them to keep their shops open till 12pm (Chand Raat) so as to reduce rush of people in limited hours. “If you don’t do so, we will then keep our shops open on our own,” he warned.

Published in Dawn, May 4th, 2021