Promulgation of Section 144 on business community a highly condemnable step: Moonis Elahi

Lahore (April 27, 2010) The promulgation of section 144 in Punjab to forcibly prevent shops and businesses from operating after 8 in the evening is another extremely unpopular and regressive step taken by N League’s Punjab government. Punjab’s peace loving shopkeepers and traders are being treated as terrorists in N League’s rule. The Chief Minister has flown off to London to avoid public flaying over his government’s anti-people policies and decisions. These views were expressed by Moonis Elahi today during a meeting with representatives of Punjab’s business community at his residence in Lahore.

In the meeting Moonis Elahi strongly criticized the enforcement of section 144 on Punjab’s business community and warned the N League government of the consequences of its anti-trade decisions. He assured Pakistan Muslim League’s unflinching support to the suffering shopkeepers and traders of the province and resolved to leave no stone unturned for the protection of their rights and interests.

Moonis Elahi blamed N League as the sole architect of the ongoing power crisis in Punjab. He also blamed N League for the current financial debacle of Punjab and alleged that after emptying the provincial coffers through mismanagement and misappropriation N League was now working to destroy the province’s private enterprises by enforcing on them a section of the law which was otherwise only meant to control terrorists and rioters.

Moonis Elahi declared that N League’s antagonistic policies and anti-trade decisions had opened the business community’s eyes and the business community now fully understood the selfish motives of N League’s leadership. He strongly criticized the harassment being spread in the business community by unknown individuals going around in market places threatening the traders of dire consequences on loud speakers in case of non compliance with the order of closing shops by 8 pm.