Citizens suffer as traders close markets

Traders announce they may go on an indefinite strike if demands remain unfulfilled

RAWALPINDI: The markets in Rawalpindi remained closed after the traders called for a country-wide strike. The traders lamented and said everything would be blown away by the upcoming inflation with the kind of documentation and taxation the government wanted.

Citizens faced a great deal of difficulty in buying groceries.

All main markets in the city including Raja Bazaar, Murree Road, Trunk Bazaar, Ganjmandi, Kashmiri Bazaar, Circular Road, Syedpur Road, Haider Road, Commercial market etc looked empty.

Different traders’ leaders also visited these markets to examine strike progress while the traders also chanted slogans against chairman federal board of revenue (FBR) and the government.

Traders to stage shutter-down strike today

With the success of the strike, the traders have announced that they may go on an indefinite strike if their demands were not fulfilled. The traders’ leaders told The Express Tribune that the government attempts to divide the traders had poorly failed. They added that all traders across the country were observing a shutter-down strike.

They said everything would be blown away by inflation that would come along with the kind of documentation and taxation the government wanted.

They further expressed the traders did not make any illegitimate demands. “We are fighting the case of masses,” they added.

They told that the traders would go on a three-day strike in the next phase.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 14^th, 2019.