Shopkeepers and dealers of automobile and spare parts of Shoba bazaar in Peshawar have complained that the officials of Cantonment Board harassing them on guise of illegal occupying of shops, and demanding the authorities concerned to immediate stop demolishing of their shops.
Speaking at a news conference at press club here on Tuesday, Central Tanzeem-e-Tajraan Rabta Committee President, Mujeebur Rehman said that they have engaged with the automobile business for the last several decades and regularly paying out rents of their shops. He informed that Cantonment Board authorities had ordered for demolishing of more than 42 shops, situated in Shoba bazaar Peshawar, without giving any prior notices to the shopkeepers.
Later, he informed that Peshawar High Court had stopped the authorities from razing the shops. But, he said the officials of Cantonment Board continuously harassing the traders with various tactics to vacate their shops, which was completely unfair with them. Flanked by trader leaders, Haji Sartaj, Syed Majid Ali Shah, Khalil ur Rehman, Abbas Hussain and Mohammad Rehman, he said that a group of few opportunists were involved in demolishing of shops in Shoba bazaar to fulfil their vested interest.
Rehman said the traders had already suffered with huge financial losses due to prolonged terrorism in the province, while business would further affect by imposing of such decisions. "We want to resolve the issue with consensus and dialogue", he said. He urged the Corps Commander Peshawar, Governor Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and other high officials concerned to order for stopping the demolishing of shops in Shoba bazaar to save their business and jobs of the many people.