Karachi traders announce sit-in at CM House against COVID restrictions
- By Anjum Wahab -
- Apr 04, 2021
KARACHI: Karachi traders have announced to stage a sit-in outside the Chief Minister House on Tuesday against restrictions on business activities imposed by the government in the wake of rising COVID-19 cases, ARY NEWS reported on Sunday.
Addressing a press conference, the trade leaders from various organizations said that they were threatened by some institutions on Friday night over violations of the COVID-19 SOPs.
“We are forced to make the announcement and will be staging a sit-in outside the chief minister’s house along with our families,” they said adding that a peaceful rally would be taken out on Tuesday afternoon from Liaqautabad towards the CM house.
The traders have been resisting the restrictions imposed by the government and on Friday, they refused to accept the closure of businesses in the city by 8:00 pm and announced to launch the ‘jail bharo’ [fill the prisons] movement.
Addressing a joint presser, the representatives of Sindh Tajir Ittehad and All City Tajir Ittehad announced that they would not close their businesses from today. “Arrest us and put us behind the bar,” the defiant traders said while announcing the ‘jail bharo’ movement over being forced to accept the lockdown.
“Closing businesses at 8:00 pm will lead to an economic meltdown for the traders,” the representatives of traders said adding that they planned to recover their losses owing to the last year’s lockdown, however, fresh restrictions will further ruin their businesses.
Under the new set of restrictions, the provincial government imposed a complete ban on indoor/outdoor wedding ceremonies from April 6. It ordered that “all kinds of gatherings (indoor/outdoor) will be banned with immediate effect.”
“This will include all social, cultural, political, sports and other events,” the notification reads. It further reads that all markets, shopping malls and other businesses will work from 6am in the morning till 8pm.