- Almost all major markets remained shut on Wednesday on call of Anjuman-e-Taajiran to exert pressure on government to withdraw WHT
- Small vendors, traders believe strikes doing more harm than good as they are unable to cope with losses incurred
Maqsood Ali, a fruit vendor who has been running his pushcart in Shah Alam Market for the last 9 years, was not happy with the strike call given by trader community due to imposition of 0.6 per cent Withholding Tax (WHT), as it suffered his business drastically.
“I did not suffer as much on the last strike observed on August 5 because some markets were open on that day but this time I earned only Rs 200 because there was a complete shutter down in Shah Alam,” said Ali while speaking to Pakistan Today, whose average daily income is Rs 1,000.
It is pertinent to mention here that a rift emerged among traders’ ranks on the dates of strike call last time as one group led by Khalid Parvez observed strike on August 5 and another group led by Naeem Mir gave a call of strike on August 1.
This time all the groups of Anjuman-e-Taajran decided to observe the strike on the same day to exert more pressure on the government and to make their strike successful.
An employee of a courier service on circular road told this scribe that the work load had reduced by 80% because of the strike.
“Our office is located at the centre of city’s business hub but there were no customers of our shipment service \from business community,” he maintained.
Talking to Pakistan Today, Asad Malik, a shopkeeper from Anarkali, said that he opened his shop at 3pm due to strike as some of the shops began to open around noon.
He was of the view that the strikes are detrimental for business activities, adding that the WHT levied on banking transactions exceeding Rs 50,000 are the murder of traders.
“We don’t go on strike by our own wish but are left with no option except to give a strike call,” Malik concluded.
All Pakistan Anjuman-e-Taajran (APAT) President Khalid Parvez termed the Wednesday’s strike as a referendum against the WHT and vowed to come on roads if the government doesn’t take it back.
He told Pakistan Today that he has written a letter to the Army Chief General Raheel Sharif to take notice of the grievances of business community as civil government is not paying heed to their concerns.
The said letter is available with Pakistan Today.
Parvez, in the letter, has requested the COAS for a meeting so that he may apprise him about the concerns of the business community.
He was of the view that protests are beauty of democracy and vowed to continue the protests till the government takes the WHT back.
Parvez threatened that neither did traders belong any political party, nor do they have any political agenda behind their protest but if any political party joins them, it would be difficult for traders to stop it.
Mujahid Maqsood Butt, President of APAT Lahore chapter, said that the government has come into power with the support of business community and can be thrown out from corridors of power with street agitation.
In another protest staged by Young Doctors Association (YDA) in the city, main roads such as the Mall Road, Jail Road and Ferozepur road remained closed for traffic for some time. The young doctors said that they will resist the planned privatisation of public hospitals in the province.
In this protest, paramedics also joined the protesting doctors.
Dr Khurram Shehzad, media coordinator of YDA, told Pakistan Today that their protest movement will continue till their demands are met and next time protest will be observed after every two weeks.
