Sarafa bazaar: Currency exchanges to reopen

Thw shops have been running legal businesses since 1947 and were permitted by State Bank of Pakistan

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court has ordered the reopening of currency shops in Sarafa Bazaar and declared the order of their closure by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) illegal. Justice Qaiser Rasheed and Justice Roohul Amin heard the petition on Tuesday. The petition was filed by Currency Sarafa Association through its advocate, Abdul Sattar Khan. The advocate informed the bench the shops were running legal businesses since 1947 and were permitted to do so by State Bank of Pakistan. Nevertheless, the Peshawar DC and FIA raided the market in January and sealed around 300 shops. According to the advocate, the raid was a violation of Article 18 of the Constitution. On the other hand, representatives of FIA and the Peshawar DC appeared in court but failed to produce the notification through which the market was closed.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 3^rd,  2016.