ISLAMABAD, MAY 16 (DNA)  –  Leader of the business community and former President ICCI Shahid Rasheed Butt on Saturday demand immediate reopening of all the shopping malls and departmental stores.

All the shopping malls and megastores should be reopened to provide relief to thousands of businessmen and their employees while it will also help masses to buy needed items for upcoming Eid, he said.

Shahid Rasheed Butt said that the timings of shops and markets should be increased to reduce crowd which can result in infection.

He said that the government has already reopened shops, markets, the construction sector and many other businesses which has provided relief to masses and the business community and now it should allow mage stores to resume operations.

The business leader said that the reopening of the transport sector is one of the best decision of Prime Minister Imran Khan as millions of people linked to this sector were facing serious problems.

He said that there are around 2.5 million commercial vehicles in Pakistan employing over five million people as drivers, conductors and cleaners. Moreover, closure of the transport sector has also damaged the livelihoods of the petrol pump and CNG owners, the staff of filling stations and those running service stations, workshops, spare parts sellers, and roadside hotels etc.

He said that closure of transport reduced consumption of petroleum products to an extent the oil companies posted losses to the tune of billions but now the situation will improve. He asked the provinces to cooperate with the Prime Minister in reopening transport sector as it will provide direct relief to at least ten million people.=DNA

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