PESHAWAR: President, Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Sherbaz Bilour has expressed reservations over issuance of notification regarding closure of businesses on Saturday and Sunday and asked the government to allow trading on weekends.
Chairing a meeting of traders’ community here at the chamber house on Thursday, Sherbaz Bilour said that the restriction to close trade and commercial hubs, including bazaars, wedding halls and markets by 8 pm and completion suspension of businesses on Saturday and Sunday, can further worsen the situation.
Besides, SCCI senior vice president Engineer Manzoor Elahi, vice president Junaid Altaf, office bearers to different trade bodies and bazaars unions in a large number were present during the meeting.
It is pertinent to mention here that the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government has notified closure of markets on Saturday and Sunday in nine Covid hit districts of the province, including Peshawar, Peshawar, Mardan, Nowshera, Swat, Kohat, Charsadda, Swabi, Malakand and Lower Dir districts. However, medical stores, general stores and other basic necessities shops will remain open on all days.
Sherbaz Bilour urged the government to relax rules/policies to flourish trade and economic activities. He emphasized that the business community should be consulted before implementation policies.
Terming the new Covid-19 restrictions as anti-business and against traders, the SCCI chief said the relevant provincial authorities had issued a new notification to close all commercial activities, establishments, markets and amusement parks on Saturday and Sunday except for essential services under a new guidelines for further restrictions after resurgence of the Covid-19 cases in the provincial capital.
Therefore, he called upon the government to immediately withdraw the new Covid-19 restrictions, imposed on the businesses to save from further losses.
He said the traders have suffered immense financial losses during earlier lockdown.
“If the new SOPs should not be relaxed, the small trading community would further suffer ”.
Sherbaz Bilour emphasized that bazaars and markets needed to remain open round the clock so it can minimize chances of spreading covid-19 virus.
He expressed fear that if the government didn’t review its decision, the business community would face further financial debts and compel on starvation.
He added that business needed relief measures from the government in taxes, interest rates, loans and utility charges instead of the imposition news restrictions multiply miseries of the community.
Sherbaz Bilour demanded that a special fiscal relief package should be announced to revive businesses and economic activities instead of the close running businesses by imposing new restrictions.
He termed the new guidelines should be immediately withdrawn to save the business community from further financial losses.

Newspakistan.tv | YouTube Channel