LAHORE, Aug 24 Hundreds of traders of Akbari Mandi continued shutter-down strike on Monday in protest against the closure of a cold storage by the Customs on Saturday.

Around 750 wholesale shops, which dealt in food items like sugar, rice, pulses and dates, remained closed on Saturday and Monday after the customs officials sealed the Kashmir cold storage situated on Bund Road, declaring the food items as smuggled.

Shahid Rafique, a member of the executive body pf the Akbari Mandi Karyana Traders Association, told Dawn around 150,000 sacks of different food items, owned by 400 traders of Akbari Mandi and lying in the cold storage, were sealed by the Customs officials with a claim that the entire consignment had been smuggled into the market in the garb of Afghan Transit Trade (ATT).

He said the customs officials had on Monday issued show-cause notices to 68 traders.

According to him, free trade between two parties or among the parties was the right of every citizen.

He said traders of Akbari Mandi had purchased goods from the open market but it did not mean that they had purchased smuggled products intentionally.

He said the association had filed a petition in the Lahore High Court against, what he claimed, illegal sealing of the cold storage, and hearing was likely to take place today (Tuesday).

Mr Shahid said on the intervention of the Lahore District Coordination Officer (DCO), cold storage was de-sealed on Monday evening.

“We will resume our business today,” he said.

Akbari Gate SHO Zaheeruddin told Dawn the traders observed strike on Monday and partially closed their shops on Saturday after their negotiations with the customs failed.