At a time when federal as well as the Punjab governments are endeavoring to facilitate the business community on account of the lockdown, the management of the major shopping malls and supermarkets are insisting to charge the rent of closed shops even during the lockdown period, which is utter violation of the government’s policy to facilitate the businesses.
PIAF Chairman Mian Nauman Kabir, in a joint statement with the Senior Vice Chairman Nasir Hameed and Vice Chairman Javed Iqbal, has said that the management of a number of shopping malls and supermarkets are not ready to relax the rent of closed shops of retailers in their premises amidst continued lockdown, appealing the government to intervene in this regard.
“A huge number of business community members, engaged in retail industry, have their outlets in the Packages Mall, Emporium, Fortress Stadium and in several other shopping malls of Lahore. The whole shopping mall and each and every shop here is also closed, but the management has been forcing the shopkeepers to pay the rent, which is sheer injustice”, he added.
He said that the shopping malls administrations target is just profit and revenue generation even in the time of worldwide pandemic and grave financial crisis.
Nauman Kabir said that every public and private sector all around the country is struggling to provide maximum facilities to the trade and industry but the shopping centers’ management is not ready to cooperate in this regard and this matter should be brought to the notice of the government.
He stated that in order to cope with the challenges of prevailing worldwide pandemic COVID-19 it is very encouraging that the government is continuously announcing various relief packages for export sectors and other local industries in the form of reduction in interest rate, concession, rebates, subsidies, suspension of taxes and extensions in the date of filing of tax returns etc.
He also termed the incentives recently announced by Prime Minister Imran Khan as a historic package for the construction industry of Pakistan, saying the package would prove a turning point for the economy of Pakistan.
PIAF Senior Vice Chairman Nasir Hameed observed that PIAF wants to bring in notice of the government that in the absence of feasible economic conditions, the liquidity situation of businesses have badly disturbed. It is impossible for the retailers to bear further financial losses and pay the rents for their closed shops, he added. Keeping in view of the further lockdown government can be the only facilitator for the business community to help them in curtailing their losses in these hard times.
Nasir Hameed requested the government to intervene and direct the concerned Malls administrations not to charge rent from the retailers at least for the period of lockdown.
PIAF Vice Chairman Javed Iqbal said that currently, majority of the businesses are facing severe financial losses and revenue shortfall due to stoppage of trading in local markets. He said that the traders have received electricity and gas bills, but they were unable to pay them due to financial constraints. He said that small traders and shopkeepers had suffered the most due to the lockdown and urged the government to exempt them from all federal and provincial taxes.
