‘They are just declaring encroachments at will’

Daska based traders and shopkeepers announce shutter down strike against district administration.

DASKA:

Hundreds of the Daska-based traders and shopkeepers announced a shutter down strike against the district administration on Saturday.

The protesters also set up a camp at Daska’s congested Katchery Chowk in protest against the district government’s announcement to demolish a second old market in Daska within the next few days. “The tehsil administration just keeps declaring old markets as encroachments at will. This is the most famous local market and all they want to do is seize the land for themselves,” said protester and affected shopkeeper Haji Saeed Butt.

The affected shopkeepers Haji Saeed Butt, Tehseen Butt, Khawaja Fiaz and others said that their shops were being destroyed. “Over 60 shops are being destroyed and this is unacceptable. The old maps show that these shops have been here since before partition,
Faiz said.

The district administration recently declared these shops to be an encroachment and announced their intention to demolish the ancient market within the next couple of day.

The protesters said that they would also observe a hunger strike on Saturday.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 5^th, 2011.