Traders warn against ‘forceful’ evacuation of shops

Vow to resist evictions without compensation

ISLAMABAD:

The leaders of trade organisations including the All Pakistan Anjuman-e-Tajran and Traders Action Committee have announced their unequivocal support for the shopkeepers of G-12 and F-12 sectors of the federal capital against their possible eviction by the housing ministry without compensation.

“The eviction without compensation is impossible as per the new law,” the trade leaders said during a meeting of officials held under the chair of Traders Welfare Association G-12 and F-12 President Mehboob Ahmed Khan.

They said it was necessary to approach the rent controller for eviction of the shopkeepers from the shops as they vowed to protect the shopkeepers of G-12 and F-12 sectors.

The All Pakistan Anjuman-e-Tajiran and Traders Action Committee Islamabad President Ajmal Baloch and Traders Committee ICCI Secretary and Convener Khalid Chaudhry specially attended the meeting.

Through a resolution in the meeting, the federal minister of housing was demanded not to try to evict nearly 2,000 shopkeepers of G-12 and F-12 sectors without compensation.

Addressing the meeting, Baloch said that the tenancy law was amended last year, according to which the amount of pagri (security) would be determined whereas if the owner of the property did not have an agreement duly verified by the rent controller, he would have his right to defence struck off.

He said that the business community will fully protect the rights of thousands of shopkeepers all over Islamabad and will not allow eviction without compensation in any case.

Mehboob Khan, president of the Traders Welfare Association, said: “Most of the shopkeepers have been tenants for the past six years. Evictions must be done by adopting the legal course and the courts of law shall refer all the eviction cases to the arbitrary council.”

“If the Ministry of Housing tries to forcefully evict the shopkeepers, we will approach the high court,” he warned. “The SOPs for eviction have recently been decided by Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani of the Islamabad High Court and the word ‘pagri’ has been added to the law, so eviction will not be allowed without compensation,” he explained.

Traders Action Committee Islamabad Secretary and Convener Traders Committee ICCI Khalid Chaudhry said that the Ministry of Housing should not hasten on the issue and should not create a law-and-order situation.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, April 25^th, 2023.