"Traders have played important role in developing Islamabad and making it as a model city, but they are facing various problems, particularly residential constraints," said Acting President ICCI, Syed Adil Anis.

He said that mostly shopkeepers were belonging to adjoining cities and towns and have shifted to Islamabad, where house rents have been escalating at fast pace, creating more difficulties for traders.

Mostly traders opt to live in their shops instead of renting a house due to colossal rentals.

Earlier, Central Organizing Secretary of Traders Action Committee who visited ICCI, Ajmal Baloch said that multi-story flats should be constructed to overcome the residential problems faced by the traders.

He said such flats could be constructed with the cooperation of Capital Development Authority (CDA). The flats could be sell out to traders irrespective of profit-loss issue.

"By adopting these ideas, residential issues of traders could be reduced," he added and requested the CDA authorities to cooperate with traders for resolving this issue.

Copyright APP (Associated Press of Pakistan), 2011