Police resorted to baton charge to disperse a violent mob of traders on Sunday, who had blocked the road by observing a sit-in and putting hurdles on the main road as a protest against the growing incidents of robberies in Multan city.
They did not let a motorcade of ministers, secretaries and high-ranking officers to move to Khanewal to attend the provincial chief minister's meeting on Sunday.
However, the officers assured the traders that police would arrest the criminals, who were involved in dacoities and robberies.
There was a complete shutter down in Samijabad, Piran Ghaib Road, General Bus Stand Road, Khanewal Road and Chowk Kumharanawala and more than 2000 shops and business concerns remained closed.
Protestors chanted slogans against the police and administration for their failure to combat crimes and protect the traders who pay taxes of millions of rupees every year.
TRADERS WARN: President Pakistan Traders Alliance (PTA) Khawaja Muhammad Shafiq said that the police could not arrest even a single culprit involved in robberies and warned that the traders would stage demonstrations and gherao the relevant police station where the incident of robbery would occur.
He said that there would be a complete shutter down in Multan city if the culprits would not be arrested within 24 hours.
Khalid Mehmood Qureshi, a leader of the business community, said that the traders' protest would continue till the transfer of inefficient, corrupt, dishonest police officials, who were providing shelter to the criminals.
Traders of Multan also blocked the Multan-Lahore-Faisalabad-Jhang road for four hours and vowed to continue their protest till the arrest of the criminals.
Pakistan Chemists and Druggists Association also decided to observe a strike.
Meanwhile, Malik Nazir Ahmed Awan, President of All Pakistan Cantonment Traders Association, assured full co-operation to the city traders and said that traders of Sadar Bazaar would also observe a strike if the police did not change its attitude.
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