Karachi traders demand Sindh govt to extend business hours

KARACHI: The traders in Karachi have demanded the Sindh government to extend business hours up to two more hours amid ongoing restrictions due to COVID-19 lockdown, ARY News reported on Monday.

The Karachi traders have decided to conduct a press conference on Tuesday (today) to highlight the businesses’ deteriorated condition amid lockdown restrictions.

President Karachi Electronic Dealers Association (KEDA) Rizwan Irfan demanded the provincial authorities extend two more hours for continuing business activities till 8:00 pm instead of 6:00 pm.

He also demanded the withdrawal of closure orders for two days a week for all businesses. Irfan claimed that police officials have shown poor behaviour with the traders and such attitude of police and assistant commissioners is unacceptable.

Read: Sindh traders urge govt to expand business hours, allow six days a week

Irfan demanded the Sindh government to take notice of ill-treatment with the traders in Karachi.

Earlier on May 30, the traders and business associations had held a press conference to register their protest against over alleged discrimination of Karachi people who are being fined Rs50,000 in challans by the Sindh government for running their business in the port city amid Covid led restrictions.

A trade association leader Mujahid Uddin had said that even with a four per cent positivity rate of Covid, the government shut down all the business activities in the name of lockdowns in Karachi, adding that discrimination against Karachiites should stop.

Another senior trader leader Atiq Mir had said the government has gone desensitized fully as the businesses have gone to every possible avenue to be heard for their miseries but to no avail.

Read: Micro-smart lockdown imposed in more areas of Karachi

The vice-chairman of Sindh’s trader alliance Muhammad Kashif Sabrani had said that the curb in Covid spread in the recent days is a favourable outcome of people and government ensuring SOP compliance thus businesses should be rewarded with six working days and more hours.

He had said the Sindh chief minister and his commissioned task force have admitted that traders and businessmen have adhered to Covid SOPs which resulted in the mitigation of viral spread.

“We should be allowed to operate six days a week instead of five and be permitted to work till 8 pm rather than being forced to wind up at 6 pm,” Sabrani said.