ISLAMABAD: Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) Administration has allowed businesses in the federal capital to remain open before Eid-ul-Azha.
Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI) President Muhammad Ahmed Waheed on Thursday appreciated Deputy Commissioner Islamabad Hamza Shafqaat and ICT Administration for allowing businesses to remain open before Eid-ul-Azha.
He said that the ICT Administration respected the demands of the business community of Islamabad and did not impose any lockdown or closure of businesses in the federal capital before Eid-ul-Azha, which was appreciable.
He also thanked Islamabad Inspector General Muhammad Amir Zulfiqar Khan under whose leadership the Islamabad police cooperated with the traders in order to maintain social distancing in markets due to which the spread of virus remained under control.
Muhammad Ahmed Waheed said that due to the work done by the ICT Administration the Covid-19 pandemic has been significantly brought under control with the number of cases decreasing in the region.
The ICCI president said that the government had imposed a lockdown to control the coronavirus, which caused huge losses to businesses and further weakened the country’s economy. However, he added that keeping businesses open before Eid in the federal capital would provide traders a good opportunity to recover some of the losses incurred earlier as consumers visit markets to shop for Eid.
He also urged the citizens to fully comply with the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) laid down by the ICT Administration during Eid days, in order to keep the spread of Covid-19 under control.
Muhammad Ahmed Waheed said that restaurants, wedding halls and marquees in Islamabad were still closed due to which thousands of workers have lost earnings and poverty and unemployment have increased. He urged the government to allow all closed businesses to reopen after Eid-ul-Azha with proper SOPs.
