KARACHI: The committee of Sindh government and traders have begun the second round of talks to hold consultations over resuming business activities amid coronavirus lockdown, ARY News reported on Thursday.
The government committee members include Saeed Ghani, Murtaza Wahab, Imtiaz Shaikh and Nasir Hussain Shah.
It is the second round of talks as deadlock persisted between the government and traders regarding the mechanism and schedule for the resumption of businesses. The provincial authorities are reluctant to grant permission for reopening shops and other trade centres due to the spread of coronavirus pandemic.
Earlier on Wednesday, Karachi traders had threatened to launch a ‘jail bharo (fill the jails) movement’ if their demand to resume businesses in the metropolis during COVID-19 lockdown is not accepted.
Read: Sindh grants permission to 86 industrial units amid COVID-19 lockdown
“If our demands are not accepted, we will be launching a jail bharo (fill the jails) movement,” said that Sindh Tajir Ittehad leader Jameel Paracha during a joint presser of different trade organizations.
He said that the traders would reopen their shops from the first day of the Ramazan. “We will not meet any negotiating team or minister of the provincial government,” he said.
On the other hand, Sindh government rejected the announcement from traders to resume businesses during lockdown from the first day of the Ramadan and Education Minister Saeed Ghani said that no one would be allowed to open shops.
Read: COVID-19: Imran Ismail asks traders to submit SOPs for resuming businesses
“We hope the traders will understand our perspective,” he said and warned that if traders would try to reopen the businesses then the Sindh government would forcefully implement its coronavirus lockdown orders.
Saeed Ghani said that they would first consult with the federal government over reopening of the shops. “We have only close down the shops reopened today,” he said.
The minister said that the Governor Sindh Imran Ismail has no administrative powers in the province and he was not empowered to announce resumption of businesses in the province.
