MIANWALI: Traffic on Mianwali–Lahore highway was blocked for a couple of hours against the police action to relocate the cattle market in Wan Bhachran on Friday.

People of Wan Bhachran have been holding a tax-free cattle market at the outskirts of the town which was beneficial for farmer’s community of the surrounding area.

The government ordered shifting of the market to another place and imposed taxes which were not accepted by people.

As Friday is cattle trading day, police was deployed at the old market much to the annoyance of cattle traders. After failing to convince traders to move to the new site, police resorted to teargas shelling which left several people injured, with some of them rushed to the Mianwali DHQ Hospital, Mianwali.

Enraged people gathered at Jahaz Chowk in Wan Bhachran and blocked traffic on the busy Mianwali-Lahore road for a couple of hours. The agitating people put boulders and burning tyres on the road and chanted slogans against the Punjab government. After two hours, protesters dispersed on the promise for solution to their problem by the district administration.

Published in Dawn, December 21st, 2024