Jirga demands end to lockdown to allow business activities

Peshawar Qaumi Jirga, a grand civil society organization of the provincial metropolis of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, has demanded the KP government to immediately end the lockdown to allow business activities.

The demand was made in a meeting of Jirga held here on Sunday at the residence of Arbab Khizer Hayat with President, Maulana Amanullah Haqqani, a former provincial minister in the chair.

The Jirga consisted of all segments of society of Peshawar including politician, traders, industrialists, teachers and students. Those who attended were included Chairman Khalid Ayub, ANP's ex-MPA and Jirga's patron-in-chief Alamgir Khalil, JI's ex minister and Jirga general secretary Kashif Azam Khan, PPP's ex minister and Jirga's vice president Ziaullah Afridi, QWP, Peshawar chairman and Jirga's vice president Malik Nadeem, Peshawar Anjuman Tajran leaders Haji Mohammad Afzal, Habibullah Zahid, Mujeeb Ur Rehman , Malik Meher Elahi, Haji Mohammad Nawaz etc.

The Jirga also demanded payment of compensation to traders affected by the lockdown and exemption from all kind of taxes and put an end to unscheduled electricity loadshedding in rural urban areas of Peshawar.

The meeting asked the government to immediately end lockdown and allow trading and business activities with instruction to observe social distancing. The participants of the Jirga were unanimous that traders cannot afford prolong lockdown as most of them are facing serious economic problems and even not in position to pay the monthly rent of their shops.

It added that labourers working at the factories and shops are also finding it hard to earn a living for their families.

The meeting asked the government to exempt the people of Peshawar from paying their utility bills for at least period of three months. Otherwise, threaten to resist the decision of further lockdown.

They also demanded exemption from all kinds of taxes in the current situation and impact of Coronavirus on businesses. They were also critical of the hours-long power loadshedding and demanded of the federal government to bring an end to the practice. Special prayers were also offered at the meeting for an immediate end to the corona virus pandemic in the world.