Sardar Yasir Ilyas Khan President, Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI) has advised the local administration to exempt all markets and business areas from the imposition of smart lockdown and take measures to ensure the implementation of SOPs in order to curb the 2 nd wave Covid-19 pandemic in the federal capital as our economy was not in a position to afford the closure of business activities. He said that the ICT Administration has sealed some subsectors in 1-8/3, 1-8/4, G-9/1, G-10/4 and G-6/2 Islamabad to control the spread of Covid-19, however, he stressed that all markets including small markets should be kept open with SOPs as closure of businesses would lead to more poverty and poverty will kill more people than the coronavirus.  He said that the Prime Minister has already announced that business activities would not be closed due to Covid-19, which was very encouraging and stressed that the ICT Administration should honor the PM’s announcement. He said this while addressing the Traders Welfare Association, Sitara Market, G-7 Markaz, Islamabad after administering oath to the newly elected Office Bearers of the Association. Syed Altaf Hussain Shah took oath as President, Khateeb Abbasi Senior Vice President, Raja Imran and Adeel Tufail Chaudhry Vice Presidents, Rana Muhammad Akram Secretary General, Muhammad Jamil Yaqoob Joint Secretary, Muhammad Owas Secretary Coord, Muhammad Rahim Khan Secretary Information and Ahmed Raza Chaudhry as Secretary Finance. Abdul Rehman Khan Vice President ICCI, M. Ejaz Abbasi, Ahmed Khan UC Chairman, Ch. Yaseen from CDA, Naveed Malik, Yousaf Rajput, Khalid Chaudhry, Raja Hassan Akhtar, Javed Chaudhry, Asif Mehmood, Tehmas Butt, Ch. Irfan, Hamid Miraj, Aurangzeb, Ashraf Farzand and others were also present at the occasion. Sardar Yasir Ilyas Khan said that ICCI would do strong lobbying for the passage of rent control act from Senate of Pakistan. He said that a Committee would be formed consisting of important traders’ leaders that would do advocacy and lobbying with the Senators for early passage of rent law from the Senate. He said that ICCI has developed strong liaison with CDA to resolve the key issues of the business community and assured the TWA G-7 Markaz, Islamabad that they would soon see many development works in their market including carpeting of roads, repair of footpaths, restoration of streetlights etc. He assured that ICCI would fully cooperate with TWA Sitara Market in resolving key issues of their market. Ajmal Baloch, President, All Pakistan Anjuman-e-Tijaran speaking at the occasion said that promulgation of a balanced rent control act in Islamabad was a longstanding demand of traders of the federal capital. He said that the National Assembly has already passed the Rent Restrictions (Amendment) Bill 2020 and stressed that the Senate should also pass it without further delay to address the burning issue of the traders of Islamabad. Speaking at the occasion, Syed Altaf Hussain Shah President and Rana Muhammad Akram Secretary General, Traders Welfare Association, Sitara Market, G-7 Markaz, Islamabad thanked the Federal Minister Asad Umar, Ali Nawaz Awan Special Assistant to PM on CDA Affairs and Raja Khurram Shehzad Nawaz MNA for their efforts to get the rent control act bill passed from the National Assembly and hoped that ICCI would play its role for its passage from the Senate. They urged that CDA should complete the construction of a food street and flowers market in Sitara Market. They said that there was a dire need of construction of interlink roads in Sitara Market for facilitation of customers and stressed upon CDA to focus on this issue.