Jewellers' strike in K-P enters third day

Traders demand release of detained shopkeepers

PESHAWAR:

The strike by jewellers and goldsmiths across Peshawar and other parts of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa entered its third consecutive day on Thursday, with markets in the old city remaining closed in protest of recent arrests of shopkeepers.

The ongoing protests, organized by the Jewellers and Goldsmiths Association, have now extended beyond Peshawar to other cities. Banners demanding the re-lease of detained traders were displayed across commercial areas.

A delegation of traders, led by Malik Mehr Elahi, President of the Traders' Association of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, met with Peshawar's CCPO Dr Mian Saeed, to convey their concerns. The delegation in-cluded Amin Hussain Babar, Provincial President of the Jewellers and Goldsmiths Association; Haji Ongzib, President of the Old City Market; Ahsan Ali, General Secretary; Shehzad Ahmed Siddiqui, Spokes-person of the Traders' Association; and Malik Usman Elahi, member of Peshawar Chamber of Commerce.

Speaking on behalf of the traders, the delegation emphasized that while they respect security agen-cies, the sanctity of homes and business premises must not be violated. "The manner in which the ar-rests were carried out is unacceptable," they said.