Sudden spike: Traders observe shutters-down strike for second day

Meet Abbottabad DC, demand release of association president, others

ABBOTABAD: Shopkeepers of Cantonment Board Plaza, Abbottabad observed complete shuttersdown strike on Tuesday over the sudden spike in rent rate and the arrest of traders.

A day earlier, shopkeepers had observed token strike for three hours on Monday against the increase in rent. Later in the day, Cantonment Bazaar Traders Association President Haji Mumtaz was arrested and cases were registered against nine other shopkeepers.

As a reaction, traders of Cantonment Plaza closed their businesses and also took out a procession.

A delegation of traders also met Abbottabad DC Ammara Aamir Khattak. They demanded Mumtaz’s release and asked the DC to take step to ensure cases were withdrawn against nine others.

Meanwhile, nine other traders—who are facing charges of disrupting traffic, blocking roads and using loudspeaker—obtained bail before arrest from the court.

Reeling in the aftermath

Earlier on July 18, a majority of shopkeepers closed their businesses from 11am to 1pm. The protesters gathered outside Cantonment Plaza and shouted slogans against the sudden spike in their monthly rent. They also held a procession and marched on different roads of the city.

The demonstrators said the relevant authorities had rented out over 400 shops in the city, including Cantonment Plaza on premium two to four decades back.  They added with the recent increase, the shopkeepers who were paying Rs1,000 every month had been asked to pay Rs19,000 per month.

Protesters said Cantonment Board Abbottabad did not sign new rent deeds with the tenants but had instead issued notices for the recovery of outstanding rent. They said the spike in rent was unjust, unlawful and tantamount to depriving 400 families and hundreds of other indirect beneficiaries of their rights.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 20^th, 2016.