Local Trading Community Tuesday set up a protest camp alongside main saddar road against the unannounced electricity loadshedding, price hike, lawlessness, hike in Petroleum products, levy of Reformed General Sale tax (RGST), and unemployment.
The protest camp held under the auspices of Peshawar Traders Alliance (PTA) with affiliated trading bodies Markazi Anjuman-e-Tajraan Cantonment and Peshawar Business Council (PBC). The camp led by Chairman Markazi Anjuman Tajraan Cantonment, Sharafat Ali Mubarak, Chairman Peshawar Traders Alliance (PTA), Haji Mohammad Israr Khan along with a large number of local traders, started from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm on main saddar road.
The traders held a protest demonstration and marched through different markets and bazaars, were holding placards and banners inscribed with slogans against the excessive power outages, poor law and order situation, inflation, and unemployment.
The traders have criticised that the government wrong policies had adversely affected business community in the province, saying that the trading activities have been immensely shattered in the wake of unprecedented unscheduled electricity outages. They said that the government had given least attention towards problems confronting the businessmen and traders in the province.
Speaking on the occasion, Chairman Peshawar Traders Alliance (PTA), Haji Mohammad Israr said that the business community has been compelled to take to street and protest against government following its refusal to accept their demands. He stressed upon the government to take steps for revival of terrorism hit economy of the province. He informed that the electricity unit had increased manifold, but there were 12 to 14 hours-unscheduled power outages, which was totally injustice with trading community and masses.
Sharafat Ali Mubarak, expressed grave concern over prolonged unannounced electricity load-shedding, especially at business and trading hubs, said that the electricity has been produced in province despite the fact the people are being deprived from the facility. He said that the government has no tangible and viable strategy to address power crisis issue in the country, saying that it totally failed to give any sort of relief to traders community and poverty stricken masses.