Traders, goods transporters observe strike in Lahore

Mobile internet services remain suspended in several parts of city

LAHORE:

A strike was observed by traders and transporters of the provincial capital on Monday in protest against a police operation against protesters of a banned group. Almost all the major markets of the city remained closed.

A religious scholar, Mufti Muneebur Rehman, along with a number of other leaders, had called for the strike. The goods transport and traders’ associations had endorsed the call.

The major markets like Gulberg Main Market, Origa Centre, Siddique Trade Centre, Barkat Marekt, Mall Road, Beadon Road, Montgomery Market, Macleod Road, Landa Bazaar, Iron Market Railway Station, Anarkali Bazaar, Akbari Mandi, Urdu Bazaar, Panoma Centre, Moon Market, Karim Market, Circular Road, Neela Gumbad, Cycle Market, Ferozpur Market, Lytton Road, Ichra Furniture Market, Marbel Market, Sanitary Market, Chungi Amar Sidhu, Shahdara Market, Jewellers Market Rang Mahal, Lohari Gate Medicine Market and markets in Walled City remained closed.

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Good transport vehicles also remained off the roads, affecting supplies throughout the city.

However, no law and order problem or clash between protesters and police was reported.

Heavy contingents of police and paramilitary forces remained deployed at various sensitive points of the city, including the surroundings of the headquarters of the banned group.

A delegation of religious scholars visited the group’s leader in Kot Lakhpat Jail to discuss the situation and a dialogue with the government.

Mobile internet services also remained suspended in many parts of the city for the seventh day.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 20^th, 2021.