RAWALPINDI: The Madina Market traders have called off the sit-in scheduled to be held at Fawwara Chowk on Saturday against non-payment of compensation money.

The local administration on Friday assured the traders, whose shops were burnt to ashes in sectarian violence on Ashura 2013, that they would be compensated soon. 

Earlier, the traders announced to stage a sit-in with their families at Fawwara Chowk if the government failed to pay them compensation money.

They demanded the government pay Rs930 million as compensation money as their shops, jewellery and cash burnt in the violence two years ago.

On the other hand, the provincial government wanted the traders to prove their claim. “We have asked the traders to provide tax returns, receipts of cash, jewellery but traders failed to provide any of them,” District Coordination Officer (DCO) Sajid Zafar Dall told Dawn.

Govt assures traders that they would be compensated

He said it was not possible for the government to provide heavy amount to the traders as compensation money without any proof.

He said the government was reconstructing the shopping complex of Taleemul Quran, and the shops would be handed over to the shopkeepers by next month.

On Friday, the traders representatives including Sharjeel Mir, Sheikh Sadique, Shahid Ghafoor Paracha, PML-N representatives Hanif Abbasi, Malik Shakeel Awan and local administration led by DCO Sajid Zafar Dall met and decided that the traders would submit fresh claims with proof to the City District Government Rawalpindi (CDGR).

In the meeting, it was decided that the CDGR will invite fresh claims through advertisements and sent them to the Punjab government after verification by the revenue and excise and taxation departments.

After the meeting, Traders representative Sharjeel Mir told Dawn that the traders had decided to postpone the sit-in until July 28 and gave time to the government to pay the compensation money.

He said mostly traders belonging to PML-N and wanted compensation for the loss they suffered during the sectarian violence.

The traders representative said mostly traders were facing financial crunch after the incident and the government should compensate so that they could start their business.

Traders’ representative Sheikh Sadique told Dawn that the traders wanted compensation money and they postponed the sit-in for a month. He said during Ramazan, they did not want to create problems for the people and for them also.

He said the local administration had assured the government that they would compensate them, but it required time and all three groups of the traders agreed to give it time.

Published in Dawn May 16th , 2015

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