The decision was taken in a meeting of Markazi Tanzeem Tajiran led by Khawaja Suleman Siddiqui, here on Sunday. Addressing a press conference which was also attended by Sheikh Akram Hakeem, Haji Babr Ali Qureshi, Muhammad Idrees Butt, Sheiklh Javed Akhtar, Khalid Mehmood Qureshi, Syed Jafar Ali Shah, Javed Akhtar Khan, Zeeshan Siddiqui, Nadeem Sheikh and Younas Ansari and others.
The participants said that the business community, transporters and general public all had been hit hard by the ongoing lockdown in the wake of coronavirus outbreak and demanded of the government to end it.
They also demanded of the government and local administration to relax rules for the business community. The traders said that they had been suffering big losses due to closure of their businesses.
The businessmen urged the provincial government to reopen business centres and markets to save them from bankruptcy and enable the customers to buy essential items for their families.
The meeting suggested that business activities should be resumed across Punjab by following the SOPs and precautionary steps proposed by the committees and government after April 14. They added that in case the ongoing lockdown was extended the traders would have no other option but to stop paying taxes and utility bills due to financial issues.
Qaumi Tajir Ittehad led by Sultan Mehmood Malik ,All Pakistan Power looms Association led by Khaliq Qandeel Ansari have threatened to violate the lockdown restriction on April 15 if the lockdown was extended.They said that traders and workers would die of hunger and starvation in lockdown. We have to opt the death whether we should die of Coronavirus or hunger.
Qaumi Tajir Ittehad led by Sultan Mehmood Malik ,All Pakistan Power looms Association led by Khaliq Qandeel Ansari have threatened to violate the lockdown restriction on April 15 if the lockdown was extended.They said that traders and workers would die of hunger and starvation in lockdown. We have to opt the death whether we should die of Coronavirus or hunger.
Meanwhile, the parents are worried about future of their children as they are indulging in negative activities due to prolonged holidays. They have demanded of the police department to take notice of the matter and prevent the youth from ruining their future.
In Muzaffargarh, Dera Ghazi Khan, Rajanpur, Layyah, Khanewal, Vehari, Lodhran, Bahawalpur, Bahawalnagar, Rahimyar Khan, Sadiqbad, Mian Chunnu, Sahiwal, Chichawatni, Chishtian, Fortabbas,KotAdu, Alipur, Jampur, Taunsa Sharif , traders demanded for restoration of business activities with SOPs set by the authorities and the government should suspend toll tax collection on Highway at least for six months.
“The government has been giving relief to people because of Covid-19 emergency and it should also halt the toll tax and other taxes collection here with immediate effect as local people and traders have been hit by the current situation,” traders’ body president told a press conference here on Monday.
Flanked by other office bearers, he said that business activities had been suspended for the last about a month..
“The government should announce exemption for small traders from various taxes,” he said.
