MANSEHRA, May 30: Traders in Balakot have called off a strike for June 4 to protest against the Earthquake Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Authority (Erra) after the interior minister assured them that their long due compensation amount would be released soon.

Balakot’s All Traders Association had announced the strike when they failed to receive the amount even after a lapse of one and half years of the Oct 8 earthquake and despite assurances by Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz and Erra chairman Left-Gen Nadeem Ahmad to that effect.

A traders’ delegation led by Muhammad Asif met Interior Minister Aftab Ahmad Sherpao on Tuesday in Kaghan and apprised him of their problems and their negotiations with the prime minister and the Erra chairman.

They said that not only their shops and trade centres had been destroyed in the quake but all goods were also ruined. However, the government did not give them the promised amount.

They said the government had restricted them from rebuilding shops in Balakot as it lay on fault lines and complained that due to the red zone they would be shifted to the new Balakot city.

Mr Sherpao reportedly said the government would pay Rs300,000 to every businessman or shopkeeper of Balakot. He also said that he would soon arrange a meeting of the Balakot traders with Prime Minister Aziz in Islamabad.