Traders want govt to consult them on market closures.

PESHAWAR -- Traders have expressed serious concerns over closure of markets in the name of smart lockdown and demanded of the administration to unseal the bazaars and take the trader leaders of relevant localities on board before making such decisions.

Addressing the foundation day ceremony of Markazi Tanzeem Tajiran Khyber Pakhtunkhwa here on Tuesday, the office-bearers of the organisation said that business activities were already affected owing to the prolonged lockdown during and before the holy month of Ramzan and government again started shutting bazaars in the name of smart lockdown that added to the miseries of traders.

The ceremony was addressed by Sharafat Ali Mubarak, Haji Mohammad Afzal, Malik Abid Hafeez, Javed Akhtar and others. They opposed the smart lockdown for controlling spread of Covid-19.

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The traders, they claimed, were ready to follow Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) but they could not force the buyers to wear face masks.

They said that in the prevailing situation, the traders were unable to pay utility bills, wages to their workers and rent of shops but government did not extend any financial support to them despite their repeated appeals.

'We have always extended full cooperation to the administration in public interest. We are ready to cooperate but no one bothers to contact the...