HYDERABAD: Hyderabad Chamber of Small Traders and Small Industry (HCSTSI) President Muhammad Saleem Memon welcomed the move by Hyderabad police to allow traders of Choti Gatti and Al Rahim Shopping Centre to open shops after the Federal Constitutional Court’s decision, terming it an important and encouraging development for the affected traders.
He congratulated the affected traders on being allowed to resume business activities and expressed hope that this development would be a means of reducing their economic problems and restoring business activities.
He said that the issue of Choti Gatti and Al Rahim Shopping Center had been a cause of serious concern for the traders and business community for the past several years. Many traders in these center have been associated with their businesses for decades and their livelihood, employees and families are economically dependent on these business activities.
The closure of shops has caused severe economic hardship not only to the traders but also to their employees and their families.
He said that the Hyderabad Chamber, while fulfilling its responsibility on this issue, has presented the traders’ position before the concerned authorities and the Sindh government on several occasions, requested their intervention in writing and continuously raised its voice for a fair and workable solution at the legal and administrative level.
The Chamber, especially in the disputes related to the properties of the Police Welfare Foundation, stressed the need for a policy that would strike a balance between the law, court orders, the interests of the Police Welfare Fund and the interests of the legitimate tenants who have been doing business for a long time.
The HCSTSI President said that during the visit of IG Sindh Javed Alam Odho to the Hyderabad Chamber on July 30, 2026 and a special meeting with the business community, the issue of Choti Gatti and Al-Rahim Shopping Center was also put before him in detail.
IG Sindh had made it clear on this occasion that Sindh Police is bound by court orders and law and is also working with the Sindh government on the possibilities of resolving the matter within the legal framework. President Chamber Saleem Memon said that getting permission to open shops after the court decision on Friday is an important step towards relief for the affected traders and restoration of business activities.
He appreciated the Sindh police, especially the IG Sindh, DIG Hyderabad and SSP Hyderabad for implementing the court decision and giving the traders an opportunity to resume their businesses. He demanded that the Sindh government and the relevant institutions formulate a clear and transparent Tenancy and Lease Policy for the commercial properties of the Sindh Police Welfare Foundation, in which the tenancy and lease matters of long-established legitimate business units, payment of rents, renewal of leases and other legal matters should be clarified.
For this purpose, a high-level review committee comprising the government, Sindh Police Welfare Foundation, relevant departments, chambers and affected traders should also be formed.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026
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