PESHAWAR: The business community on Tuesday set up a protest camp here against the frequent increases in prices of petroleum products, electricity, gas and food communities.

The camp was set up at the Qissa Khwani Bazaar under the auspices of Frontier Printers and Publishers Association.

The organisers said the protest would continue till the government slashed the prices of utilities.

It is to be mentioned here that the decision about launching the protest campaign was taken at a meeting of Peshawar Qaumi Jirga, an alliance of traders’ organisations, here on Monday.

It was decided that the campaign would continue phase-wise in different bazaars, where the shopkeepers would hoist black banners and flags on their outlets to condemn the inflated power bills, increase in prices of petroleum products, LPG, natural gas and other commodities. The participants of the protest camp were holding banners and placards.

Provincial leaders of Pakistan Business Forum, including Mushtaq Ahmed Khalil, Fakhrul Zaman, Tawab Gul, Khalid Gul and Zafar Khattak led the protesters.

They said the continuous increase in power and gas tariffs and prices of petroleum products had destroyed the business activities. They said on one had the government had announced austerity drive, but on other, ministers were least bothered to curtail their official expenditures. They said the common people, particularly traders, were forced to pay taxes on different pretexts.

The business leaders said the law and order situation had also worsened in the province with traders receiving extortion letters from unknown terrorists. They deplored that the government was not taking appropriate measures to protect the business community from extortionists.

The traders also took out a rally near the Shaheedano Chowk, chanting slogans against the government. They urged the government to withdraw the increase in prices of petroleum products, electricity, LPG and natural gas.

Published in Dawn, August 23rd, 2023