Life slowly returns to normal in AJK

MUZAFFARABAD: Daily life began moving back towards normal in Azad Jammu and Kashmir’s capital on Monday after traders and transport operators called off a shutdown that had continued for weeks, leading to the reopening of many businesses and the return of public transport services.

The resumption followed a joint decision by the central traders’ organisation and representatives of transporters. Muzaffarabad had remained largely immobilised since June 9 because of a strike called by the proscribed Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC).

Traders said commercial activity had only partly recovered, estimating that around 50 to 70 per cent of businesses had reopened across the city. They said a full return to normal remained difficult because internet services were still suspended, online banking remained disrupted, banking operations were limited and fuel shortages persisted.

Main roads in the city, which had remained largely deserted for weeks, saw regular traffic return, while passenger transport resumed on both local and inter-district routes. In the downtown commercial area, however, business activity was uneven.

In Madina Market, where shops dealing in unstitched fabric, cosmetics and electronics are located, traders said only about 30 per cent of outlets had reopened. By comparison, markets selling essential goods, along with pharmacies, laboratories and clinics on CMH Road, were functioning almost normally.

Some traders also complained that the administration had sealed certain shops for not reopening, saying the practical problems facing business owners had not been taken into account.

The continued internet shutdown has also sharply affected trade by making digital banking largely unusable. Businesses dependent on electronic transactions have therefore been forced either to cut back their activity or suspend operations altogether.