PTI, PAT sit-ins cause 85 percent decrease in business activities: traders

The continuing sit-ins in Islamabad by PTI and PAT protestors against the PML-N government have scaled down 85 percent business activities in majority markets of the city, traders said on Monday. "Traders fear the continuing protests in the capital city are likely to trigger social and political disruption to swallow up the country's ailing economy entirely," they said.
The PTI and PAT protests have caused the country's 'biggest' political and economic crisis, said Chairman of All Karachi Tajir Ittehad (AKTI) Atiq Mir, adding "the present political turmoil inflicted Rs 50 billion losses on Karachi's businessmen alone". He said the political crisis that emerged from electoral irregularities have engulfed the country's poor economy and social order. "As a result, the country confronted a major economic challenge of dollar rate rise against the rupee," he believed.
The rising dollar value against the rupee is now set to generate more financial problems for local traders who are now planning to downsize their set-ups and hold up fresh investment, he added. "The growing political and economic turbulence is feared to stir up civil war like situation in the country," he warned, saying small traders are unable to pay off their loans to banks in the wake of present political crisis.
Atiq Mir said the country's economy was now left hostage to PTI and PAT protestors as the capital city gives a look of being besieged. "The uncertain situation has trigger economic crisis even for the traders to meet their expanses and retain their staff," he pointed out.
He also criticised the PML-N government for failing to discern the political crisis before it was getting full-fledged to hit the national scene. "It is sheer incompetence on the part of government to fail to recognise the crisis before it engulfed the country in no time," he said. He termed the seizure of capital city as 'job' of anti-Pakistan powers, saying "it has become a routine to paralyse Islamabad to leave it as insecure place in the country". He also called the present ruling class a "security risk" to the national unity.
The ATKI Chairman also slammed PTI and PAT protestors for holding the main government buildings hostage, saying the agitation is 'critical'. He said the agitation was more likely to provide an opportunity for other forces to seize power. He feared the poverty level was more likely to grow if the situation did not improve immediately, as traders may go for 'rightsizing' to avoid financial loss.