Islamabad traders call for easing of lockdown restrictions

ISLAMABAD: Traders in the federal capital have called for relaxation in lockdown restrictions, saying businesses in Islamabad should be given relief similar to that provided in the provinces.

Members of the trading community said they had consistently supported the government and cooperated in the implementation of policies framed in what they described as the country’s best interest.

Sarfraz Mughal, former president of the Traders Welfare Association Super Market, said the lockdown had been imposed without consultation with the business community, though traders accepted the decision. “The government needs to understand the problems of traders seriously and try to solve them,” he said.

Mughal said the demand for easing restrictions was not limited to one market or trader group. According to him, Federation of Pakistan President Atif Ikram, Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Sardar Tahir, central business leaders Ajmal Baloch and Kashif Chaudhry, and Islamabad Chamber of Small Traders President Sheikh Tayyab have also raised similar demands.

Traders seek treatment similar to provinces

The traders’ position, as stated in the report, is that Islamabad’s business community wants the same kind of relaxation in lockdown measures that has been allowed in the provinces. Their demand comes from the federal capital’s commercial sector, which says it has remained cooperative with official decisions despite not being taken into confidence before the restrictions were enforced.

Mughal’s remarks underline a broader complaint from traders that their concerns were not heard before the lockdown was introduced. Even so, he said, the business community accepted the government’s decision.

The call for relief has also been echoed by office-bearers and business representatives from major trade bodies and market groups in Islamabad, including the Federation of Pakistan, the Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and the Islamabad Chamber of Small Traders, as well as central business leaders named by Mughal.

Business community presses for relief

The demand put forward by traders is specifically for relaxation in lockdown conditions in Islamabad. The business community believes its cooperation with the government should be matched by serious attention to the difficulties being faced by traders.

No further details were provided in the report about the specific form of relaxation being sought, but the central demand remained that Islamabad should receive the same easing of restrictions as the provinces.

The issue has been raised publicly by traders and business representatives in the capital as they press the government to address their concerns.