Traders on Monday asked the government to register a first information report (FIR) against Interior Minister Rehman Malik for misusing official powers by seizing dozens of containers and depriving the owners of their rent.
The All Pakistan Anjuman-e-Tajiran said that drivers and owners of containers were suffering in cold and harsh rainy weather in the open without any shelter, ration and toilet facilities.
APAT Central General Secretary Naeem Mir said Malik should also pay damages to those businessmen, whose containers have been snatched at gunpoint, as he has received Rs 250 million from the government to stop the long march. He said that the government is presently using dozens of containers to block roads. “The interior minister not only should pay the rent of those containers but also compensate the traders for the loss of those perishable goods which are going to be wasted,” he said.
In case of any theft or loss of merchandise, the interior minister would be held responsible and he should pay from his own pocket, he demanded. He said that the owners of containers continued to face hardships, as there is no given time for the end of long march. He said that Malik held talks with traders of Islamabad, forcing them to open their shops on Monday despite fear of violence, carnage and bloodshed amid demonstration and rallies of Dr Tahirul Qadri. He said that on one side Malik directed to close down all government departments and public and private educational institutions; on the other hand, the Tajir Action Committee of Islamabad was forced to open markets, showing the apathy of the government.
He said that in case of attack on any business centre, shopping plaza or market, the interior minister would be held responsible. The FIR should also include Malik’s name along with other attackers for causality and losses during the period of protest demonstrations and long march, he suggested. He said that some containers were full of dangerous and inflammable chemicals and could be a cause for any untoward incident.