No trade, business activity in Lahore

[LahoreEstate]

LAHORE (February 27 2009): Business activities remained at stand still in the provincial metropolis on Thursday as the traders of all the major markets observed complete shutter down strike on Thursday as a mark of protest against the apex court verdict regarding Sharif brothers' disqualification.

All Pakistan Anjuman-e-Tajiran had given the call for observing a complete strike in the city at a press conference addressed by its head, Haji Maqsud Ahmad a day earlier. Lahore is known as the PML-N fortress and business community as the staunch supporter and they once again proved this impression on Thursday.

The city's most busy and historic thoroughfare, Mall Road, became the centre of protest on Wednesday soon after the announcement of the decision and the shopkeepers and other business organisations situated on this road halted their activities and the same routine continued through out the day on Thursday.

A survey conducted by the Business Recorder revealed that the big markets such as Mall Road, Hall Road, Liberty, Main Boulevard, Beranderth Road, Akbari Mandi, Ferozepur Road, Wahdat Road, Beadon Road, Anarkali, Shahalmi, Sarafa Bazar, Azam Cloth Market, Pakistan Cloth Market, Kashmiri Bazaar, Bara Market, Rangmahal, Circular Road, Neela Gunbad, Gunpat Road, Dabi Bazar, Rehman Galian market, Lytton Road, Multan Road, Yateem Khana, Scheme More, Lohari's medicine market, Ravi Road, Madina Electric Market, Bottle Bazar and Papar Mandi, Moti Bazaar (wholesale shoe market), Lunda Bazaar, Steel Market, Badami Bagh spare parts market, Badami Bagh Steel Market, Bilal Ganj, Urdu Bazaar, Patiala Ground, Montgomery Road, Mcleod Road motor cycle and spare parts market, Tyre Market (railway station and Nila Gumbad), Allam Iqbal Town, Civic Center, Garden Town, Ichhra, Baghbanpura, Urdu Bazar, Shalimar Link Road, Islampura's Main Bazar, Nisbat Road, Model Town Link Road and other small markets situated in the adjacent areas remained closed.

Markets in some of the residential areas remained closed partially, while as per tradition shops of eatables remained opened. Public transport was also thin during the day on the roads. The traders of different markets reportedly also burnt tyres and chanted slogans against the disqualifying PML-N leadership.

President All Pakistan Anjuman-e-Tajraan, Haji Maqsood Butt while talking to Business Recorder paid gratitude to the business community of the city for observing a complete shutter down on their call against the disqualification of PML-N leadership. He said that all the big and small markets of the city were closed and people also staged protest.

Regarding the next strategy, he said that they would be calling a 'traders convention' on March 05, 2009 in which traders from all over the Punjab province would converge and discuss the situation and announce their future line of action. He said that as announced in the press conference, they would also give programme for hunger strike against this decision in a day or two.

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