The trading community of the capital on Tuesday rejected the measures aimed at energy conservation and increase in tax collection, which would have negative implications on the economy. Speaking at a hurriedly called meeting, Malik Sagheer Ahmed, Chairman Traders Welfare Association (TWA) and Malik Sohail Hussain, President TWA said that energy conservation measures and new income tax forms will result in massive unemployment, which will trigger unrest as well as extremism.
The prevailing tough situation is direct result of the incompetence of the government, while measures announced by the authorities amounts to economic annihilation of the business community, said leaders of TWA. They said that the business community and the masses are not ready to pay the price of incompetence of the government functionaries.
Malik Sagheer and Malik Sohail said that decisions taken by the baboo shahi without consulting stakeholders have proved useless in the past and it will not work in the future Trade leaders of the federal capital's commercial district said that those who have always cheated the trading community and ditched them for personal interests have now formed a new group in the name of All Traders Welfare Association.
They have a controversial and partial executive board, it lacks any constitution, election schedule and have failed to publish voters' list so that it can be scrutinised, they said. The business leaders said that rejected elements have formed such groups in the past to derail the business community, but now they stands unmasked therefore they have lost any support.
The TWA officials announced full support to the Capital Unity Group in the upcoming elections and vowed to continue struggle for a just tenancy act, residential and educational projects, dispensary and proper parking place in the Blue Area.
Traders said that they have full faith in the leadership of Sagheer, Sohail and Syed Amin Pirzada, adding that they would support all the contestants of Capital Unity Group that include Syed Nadeem Mansoor running for post of President, SVP Zahid Qureshi, General Sec. Shakil Aziz, VPs Liaquat Ali Noon, Haji Naeem, Yusuf Rajput and Chaudhry Arshad, Joint Secretary Imran Bokhari, Secretary Finance Salman and Secretary Information Intikhab Abbasi.
Leaders and members of other associations present on the occasion also promised to support TWA in the elections. They also included Hafiz Imran Abbasi, Zafar Abbasi, Aqeel Abbasi, Imran Abbasi, Shafique Abbasi and Ghufran Abbasi who represented traders hailing from hilly areas like Murree, Hazara and AJK. They said that some elements had always tried to create rifts among the ranks of traders, but now their efforts would frustrate as trading community is alive and they know about the services rendered by Malik Sagheer and Malik Sohail for the betterment of the community.