ISLAMABAD: A prominent Pakistani traders’ union on Sunday warned of nationwide protests if the government reimposes its decision to close markets early, calling on authorities to permanently end lockdown measures intended to conserve energy.
In early April, Pakistan’s government ordered shops, markets and shopping malls to close by 8 p.m., while restaurants, bakeries, grocery stores and wedding halls were directed to shut down by 10 p.m. as part of an austerity plan to conserve costly imported fuel. However, the government announced earlier this month it was easing market restrictions till May 31 in light of the Eid Al-Adha festival.
The austerity measures were imposed after the US-Iran war, which broke out in February after Israel and the US carried out joint strikes against Iran, drove prices of fuel supplies higher. Pakistan also increased prices of petroleum products as the Strait of Hormuz, a key passageway through which roughly 20 percent of the world’s oil and gas supplies pass through, remains mostly closed for ships.
“With the end of the Iran-US war, there is no longer any justification for lockdowns,” Kashif Chaudhry, president of the Central Association of Traders in Pakistan, a prominent traders’ union, said in a statement.
“If a lockdown is imposed after June 1, we will relaunch a nationwide protest movement.”
Traders have demanded an end to the restrictions on early market closures, complaining that such lockdown measures have hurt their earnings.
Chaudhry demanded the prime minister issue a notification announcing the permanent lifting of restrictions on June 1. He urged traders across the country to prepare to keep their businesses open after June 1.
“During the intense summer season, business activity begins after 7 p.m.,” he said. “Forcing shops to close at 8 p.m. is equivalent to destroying businesses.”
He said the increase in petroleum prices has hurt consumers’ purchasing power, noting that traders and the general public pay high power tariffs.
“High fuel and electricity prices, along with inflation, have eroded the purchasing power of 120 million people,” Chaudhry said.
“Even when businesses remain open, the public lacks the ability to make purchases.”
Pakistan’s government has said that the restrictions were aimed at reducing energy consumption, controlling electricity production costs, and safeguarding lower-income segments of the population from higher fuel prices in Pakistan, which imports most of its energy needs.
Pakistan slashed petrol and diesel prices by Rs22 per liter on the third day of Eid, describing it as a gift for the masses on the Islamic festival.
