Imran cuts short Peshawar visit due to traders’ protest

PESHAWAR: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan was forced on Thursday to cut short his visit to the historic downtown localities of the walled city as the traders staged protest on his arrival and sought deployment of paramilitary troops in the city to provide protection to the business community amid mounting threats from extortionists and target killers.

Around half a dozen organisations of the traders staged demonstration at British-era monument Ghanta Ghar, where Imran Khan was due after his visit to the newly-rehabilitated Hindu temple in Gor Khatri.

Imran Khan, during his planned visit to the locality, was also scheduled to visit Sethi House in Mohalla Sethian that has been rehabilitated as cultural heritage, before visiting the heart of the old city Chowk Yadgar.

However, he returned from Gor Kathri after the administration informed him of the traders’ protest on his way to Chowk Yadgar.The traders were led by Haji Muhammad Afzal, president of the Anjuman-e-Tajiran and leader of the Tajir Ittehad, a conglomerate of the traders’ bodies. They raised slogans against the provincial administration and police and alleged that the provincial government had failed to provide security to traders.

Trader leaders Malik Mehr Illahi, Shaukat Ali Khan of the Markazi Tanzeem Tajiran, Shakeel Saraf, Mujeebur Rehman and Javed Akhtar were among those representing various groups of traders in the protest.

On February 9, an unknown assailant killed veteran trader leader Haji Haleem Jan in Qissa Khawani Bazaar after he refused to pay money to the operatives of the extortion mafia.Chanting “go Imran go” slogans, the traders said the provincial government had failed to provide protection to the people of the city in general and traders in particular against the extortion mafias and target killers, who have been rampaging through the city these days. They asked the government to deploy Rangers, and if it is not possible in the law, then it should forthwith call some companies of Frontier Corps or Frontier Constabulary in the city to protect citizens and traders from the extortionists and target killers.

Muhammad Afzal, while talking to The News, held the deputy commissioner Peshawar and inspector general of police (IGP) responsible for the situation that led to the cancellation of Imran Khan’s visit to Sethi Mohallah, where rare architectural masterpieces are located. He alleged that the government officials, particularly DC and IGP were responsible for the re-strengthening of extortionists in provincial metropolis as they were not taking action against these groups.

He claimed that the DC needlessly carried out an operation in Ghanta Ghar against the traders a night ahead of Imran Khan’s visit to the locality that led to the protest by the local traders.“We gathered here to only discuss our problems with PTI chief for 10 minutes, but he was misled by the DC to leave and this annoyed the traders who staged the protest,” Afzal said.

He added that on Tuesday) they called on acting governor Asad Qaisar and informed him of the widespread and uncontrolled activities of the extortionists in the city.An owner of the chain of upscale restaurants in the city, wishing not to be named, said he along with some other business colleagues were receiving repeated calls from the extortionists for the last several months, but the government was not doing anything in this regard.

He added: “This time the threats are serious and most of the time the callers fearlessly tell us that we should go and inform the police and let’s see what the police can do against us.”