PESHAWAR: The traders have demanded of the federal government to ban political gatherings for sometime in order to contain the spread of Covid-19 in the country.

The demand was made during a meeting held here on Saturday. Senior businessmen, including Malik Meher Ilahi, Mujeebur Rehman, Khalid Ayub and others were in attendance.

Briefing mediapersons about their demands, Mr Rehman said politicians seemed least bothered to follow the standard operating procedures against the pandemic.

“The government will be unable to control the pandemic by only restricting business activities, public transport and closing wedding halls, restaurants and schools,” he said.

He said while public gatherings for the cantonment board elections continued without any restriction, the authorities continued to impose curbs on business activities.

Mr Rehman said the traders’ bodies would ask the provincial government to financially support the shopkeepers, who had suffered the most due to the prolonged lockdowns.

The senior businessman also asked the government to open the schools with strict observance of SOPs as repeated closure of educational institutions had caused irreparable loss to students.

Published in Dawn, September 12th, 2021