The Traders Action Committee, Islamabad, on Tuesday threatened to go on strike for indefinite period if their demands for release of traders, held under the Anti-terrorism Act, were not met.
Secretary General of Traders Action Committee Muhammad Kashif Chaudhry, talking to Business Recorder, said that they held meetings with Deputy Commissioner of Islamabad Asadullah Faiz, Additional Commissioner Rana Akbar Hayat and leader of the house in Senate Nayyar Hussain Bukhari, who them assured them of their full support.
He said: "They have assured us that 43 arrested traders will be released soon. We have demanded of the government that case under Anti- terrorism Act against the traders should be withdrawn," he added.
Kashif further said: "We have demanded of the government to establish a reconciliation council, comprising traders, owners and representatives of civic authorities for solving the issue through negotiations before approaching the court."
Acting President of Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI) Shaban Khalid stated that the business community had always supported the independence of judiciary, which was essential for providing justice to common man on merit.
"Businessmen, being the key players in developing national economy, also deserve fair treatment. However, the arrest of some local traders on Saturday has created concerns among the trading community, which should be addressed on priority basis," he said.He said this issue further underscored the need for enforcing a balanced Rent Control Act in Islamabad to avoid repetition of such untoward incidents as well as to protect the rights of both tenants and landlords in future.
Shaban Khalid said the ICCI had time and again been raising its voice for promulgation of a balanced Rent Control Act in Islamabad because due to non-availability of such a law, rent disputes between tenants, including shopkeepers, and owners were on the rise, while this particular happening provided further credence to our demand.
He said local administration should immediately invite all stakeholders for developing a consensus document on Rent Control Act so that Islamabad could not experience such ugly incidents in coming days, which not only dent the healthy relations between the judiciary and the business community, but also negatively impacted business activities in shape of shutter downs and strikes.
Traders' leader Murtaza Mughal said the issue must not be politicised but it should be resolved amicably through negotiations as many people were suffering due to strike held on Monday.
The ICCI representatives were leading the business community during the protest on Monday, but when this scribe tried to seek view of the acting President of the ICCI on the issue, he refused to comment.
The Federal capital traders had observed a complete shutter down strike on Monday against the arrest of 42 shopkeepers on Saturday. One leading businessman said that basically "we are against the absence of the Rent Law, which has deprived many traders of their business."
He said that one of our colleagues Rana Muhammad Akram was illegally arrested and the court had sent him to jail for 30 days. He said: "We were on peaceful strike against the decision of court at F-8 Markaz where the district courts are located. We never challenged the writ of the government."
According to the reports, the protesters intercepted the judge and tried to ransack the courtroom, but timely intervention by the police prevented the situation to deteriorate further. Police functionaries and the district administration tried to calm down the protesters, but the traders continued their protest.
Consequently, the police arrested 43 protesters. The Margalla Police have registered cases against the protesters. This scribe also tried his level best to locate the owner of the shop to get his viewpoint on the issue, but nobody in the business community was able to tell about his whereabouts.
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