Violating lockdown: Karachi traders attempting to resume business arrested

KARACHI: The Karachi police on Wednesday arrested about half-a-dozen shopkeepers, including a trade organisation’s leader, as the business community tried to resume operations in violation of the lockdown.

Police said the arrested traders had attempted to resume operations at the timber and iron market, violating the provincial government's standard operating procedures for the coronavirus pandemic.

The Police registered an FIR No 142/20 against the president of the All City Traders Alliance, Hammad Poonawala, and other traders, including Javed Qureshi, Ahsan Ahmed and Javed Shakoor, for violating the Sindh government’s orders, disrupting the law and order situation and intervening in the government work. The case was registered at the Napier police station but the arrested traders were kept at different police stations. According to District City police chief SSP Muqaddas Haider, police had arrested six traders and they would be produced before a court today (Thursday).

Meanwhile, Atif Billu, who is the leader of a chemist wholesaler’s organisation, condemned the arrests and said Poonawala was arrested by police as shop owners had begun a demonstration against the lockdown. Billu said Poonawala was trying to have the markets reopened as the traders were under a tremendous financial crunch. He urged the government to devise a strategy under which the business community could resume operations. He said the traders are being affected due to the ongoing tussle between federal and provincial governments and added that the business community should not suffer due to it.

He also appealed to Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah and other ministers, including Syed Nasir Hussain Shah and Saeed Ghani, to play their role for the release of the arrested traders.