RAWALPINDI: A large number of traders in Pirwadhai staged a protest on Monday against the Punjab Enforcement and Regulatory Authority (Pera) after it conducted a surprise inspection for encroachments, imposed fines, confiscated goods and issued warnings to those violating the law.

Slogan-chanting shopkeepers marched on the roads, with some pulling down their shutters in anger and threatening a complete strike across the city.

The Punjab government has established Pera under the Punjab Enforcement and Regulation Act 2024 to ensure effective implementation of special laws, improve governance and create a transparent enforcement system in the province.

The protesters, after closing their shops, gathered outside the local police station, demanding that the Punjab chief minister stop Pera’s operations, claiming they could not continue their businesses under such conditions.

“Maryam Nawaz Sharif has committed injustice by forming a para-force,” one protester alleged, adding that Pera officials imposed fines but did not issue receipts.

Imran Khan, chairman of the Shopkeepers Union, told Dawn that they were not against Pera and were ready to cooperate, but the authority should understand that the shops built within the Pirwadhai bus stand premises are too small to accommodate vehicles.

Published in Dawn, October 28th, 2025