Karachi traders open shops till 8pm

Sindh government decided to delay their decision till Monday of keeping shops open till 8 pm, after a meeting with Karachi’s Tajir Action Committee on Saturday.

Nasir Hussain Shah Minister for Information Sindh, while speaking to the media, said that the committee had been invited for talks today at the Commissioner House.

“We asked them to delay their decision till Monday,” said the minister, adding that by then, the larger level of their demands would be met and issues resolved.

Till then, shops will continue to shut down at 6 pm.

Shah said the committee had put forth complaints of the attitude displayed by police and the administration.

“We have suspended the Station House Officer of Saudabad after receiving complaints,” he said, adding that the government is also looking into the other complaints.

A coordination committee will be formed at the district level so that there is no miscommunication between the trader organizations and the administration.

He said the traders will be taken into confidence before to making decisions that affect them. “We do not wish for the economic murder of anyone,” he said.

The minister said that the Sindh government did not enjoy taking such decisions. Curbs are placed for the protection of people, he said.

He added that all decisions are always based on recommendations by the National Command and Operation Centre.

“The prime minister himself identified Karachi and Hyderabad as areas where cases are on the rise,” he said.

Shah regretted that some people were making statements based on ethnic politics.

“When markets were closed in Lahore, Islamabad, and Peshawar, no one said anything,” he said, adding: “The MQM and PTI are only engaging in politicking.”

“A lot of people tell us not to hold negotiations and simply implement decisions by force,” he said, implying that the government is not in favor of such actions.

He said that the government will hold a meeting on Monday to discuss the issues the trader’s face and the demands they have put forward.