Ahsan Zafar Bakhtawari, President, Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI) said that the placement of containers at the entry points of Islamabad has created lot of concerns in the business community and stressed that the government should avoid taking any measures to seal the Capital due to any situation as it would destroy businesses and further weaken the economy.

He said that the business community has already spent the last two years in problems because the Covid-19 pandemic had destroyed business activities due to which it was difficult for them to meet their daily expenses. Now the high inflation has created new difficulties for people including the business community as businesses are shrinking due to reduced purchasing power of consumers. He said that in these difficult conditions, placement of containers at the entry points of the city is spreading panic among the business community and the citizens.

Ahsan Zafar Bakhtawari said that the containers have also reduced the attendance of workers in the industrial areas. He was afraid that sealing of the city due to any political march or sit-in will not only make the citizens prisoners at home, it will also disrupt the supply system, bring production activities to a standstill, create shortage of daily food items for people and lead to economic killing of the business community.

ICCI President said that the closure of the city will also create problems for the patients as it will be difficult to get them to the hospital in case of emergency and there will also be shortage of medicines. He said that in such a situation, it will not be possible for students to reach the educational institutions due to which their education will suffer. He demanded that the government should avoid taking any steps to seal the city and allow business activities to run smoothly. He also appealed to the Prime Minister of Pakistan Mian Shahbaz Sharif and Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah to take notice of this situation and sealing of the Capital should be avoided at all costs.