Karachi traders reject early closure of markets decision

KARACHI: Karachi traders pledged not to abide by the government’s decision to close the markets and marriage halls under an energy conservation plan, saying that in the summer season, shopping always takes place in the evening.

In a statement, President Anjuman Tajiran Karachi Jawed Shams said that traders can only shut markets by 9pm on assurance of uninterrupted electricity supply.

He warned that if the administration tried to use force, there will be strong resistance. The traders have threatened to stage protests, sits-in if the government implemented the decision.

Meanwhile, Karachi Electronics Dealers Association President Muhammad Rizwan Irfan lamented that the government did not consult the traders regarding the energy-saving plan.

All-Pakistan Anjuman Tajiran (APAT) secretary general Naeem Mir said that the provincial government should have consulted with the trading community before agreeing to the decision.

He noted that the business community purchases the most expensive electricity, and therefore, favourable strategies should be devised for them.

Yesterday, Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal announced that the federal and provincial governments have unanimously decided to shut markets by 8pm across the country under ‘energy conservation plan’.

The federal minister made the announcement while talking to journalists after a meeting of National Economic Council (NEC) chaired Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif approved the estimated budget figures.

“The NEC has approved an energy conservation plan under which shops and commercial centres would be closed by 8pm,” he announced, noting that energy has become a huge challenge for Pakistan due to global prices.

He pointed out that the federal cabinet had vowed to enforce decisions under a National Energy Conservation Plan last year. “However, there was no representation of provinces in that meeting,” he said.