MANSEHRA, Sept 25: Hundreds of traders and shopkeepers of Balakot held a protest demonstration on Thursday against Afghan traders who they said had occupied their businesses.

“In the October 8, 2005 earthquake, traders and shopkeepers lost their everything -- shops and goods -- but Afghan traders occupied their shops and business after paying huge amounts to landowners. If they (Afghan) traders are not expelled, we will expel them by force,” one of the traders said.

The shopkeepers and traders, holding banners and placards, marched through various roads and later gathered in the main bazaar chanting slogans against Afghan traders and demanding their immediate expulsion.

Speaking on the occasion, local trader and Balakot tehsil chief of Jamaat-i-Islami Shuakat Khan and others said Afghan traders had come to the region following the earthquake and had paid huge amounts to shop owners and captured their businesses because they could not fulfil the demands of the shop owners as they had lost everything.

“We restarted our business following the tragedy with a meagre amount, but we cannot survive in the market and our families are facing hunger,” they said.

They said despite tall claims neither the government nor any NGO had helped them financially to restore their businesses.

They said it was an unfortunate fact that many Afghan traders had obtained computerised national identity cards, adding they had proofs of it and would produce it before the authorities if needed.

They called upon the government and NGOs to fulfil their promises and help the earthquake-affected businessmen of Balakot.