PESHAWAR: Traders of Kharkhano Market have voiced concern over crackdown on their shops by a team of Customs Department and warned of launching protest movement and observing shutter down strike if the confiscated goods along with cash were not returned to them.
While speaking at a news conference at Peshawar Press Club, Tajir Insaf Peshawar President Shahid Khan said that a team of Customs Intelligence and Investigation in support of police conducted a raid on Haroon Market in Kharkhano Market without any intimation and seized cloth from 10 shops and also took away huge cash from the shop.
Flanked by Haroon Market President Mujeebullah, Palace Market President Inayatullah, trader Shakor Khan, leaders of Tajir Insaf Peshawar Iftikhar Hussain and Tariq Jalil, he justified that the Bara markets were established in various cities across the country but now a conspiracy was being hatched to damage their businesses, he lamented.
Shahid Khan said that they had held meeting with the district police officials, but traders did not get positive response. He warned that if Customs department did not return back the confiscated cloth and cash, they would take legal action against them. He also threatened a protest campaign against the Customs department across the district.
Mujeeb said that there was no justification of crackdown on shops in Kharkhano Market. He lamented that business activities were already affected due to ongoing work of Bus Rapid Transport (BRT) project in Peshawar coupled with excessive loadshedding and poor law and order situation in the province. He added that such government steps would further push their businesses to standstill.
