Abdul Rauf Alam, Chairman, Joint Action Committee of traders stressed upon the government to withdraw its decision for early closure of shops in Islamabad and don’t compel the traders of the federal capital to consider deciding next course of action for protection of their business rights. He said the successful shutter down strike by traders on Tuesday has further strengthened the unity in business community and added that this unity will also help them in getting resolved their other issues as well. 

 

He also thanked Joint Action Committee members Muzzamil Hussain Sabri President Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Kamran Abbasi President Islamabad Chamber of Small Traders, Ajmal Baloch President All Pakistan Anjuman-e-Tijaran, M. Kashif Chaudhry President Markazi Anjuman-e-Tijaran Islamabad and M. Ejaz Abbasi President Jinnah Super Market as well as Presidents and General Secretaries of all market unions for their efforts to make the strike highly successful.

 

Abdul Rauf Alam said that traders of Islamabad were facing many issues related to CDA, local administration, income tax and police and in these conditions forcing them to close shops at peak shopping hours would add to their problems. He said it was unfortunate that not a single trade leader or trade body of Islamabad was taken on board on this important issue and a unilateral decision was imposed on traders.

 

He said a uniform policy for energy conservation should be made for the whole country and reiterated that traders would never accept early closure of shops in Islamabad at the cost of their business interests. 

 

He said Joint Action Committee would call a meeting of all market unions to decide next course of action if government did not withdraw its decision and taken them into confidence on this issue.

 

Muzzamil Hussain Sabri President, M. Shakeel Munir Senior Vice President and M. Ashfaq Hussain Chatha Vice President Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry said that traders wanted to run business activities in a peaceful environment, but coercive measures of local administration to force traders for closure of shops by 8:00 pm were disturbing the peace of the city. They stressed that government should sit with traders on this burning issue and find out a win-win solution of the problem so that the economy could be improved with joint efforts.