Raza Naqvi
Attock
There was standoff between traders’ community and traders in various parts of Attock district as they came face to face over lockdown for nine days imposed by the government to curb the spread of novel coronavirus on the eve of Eid Ul Azha.
The charged and angry shopkeepers in Hazro, Hassanabdal and Attock city came face to face with the officials of local administration when the later visited markets and bazaars along with police force to enforce complete lockdown in the markets by closing the shops.
According to the notification issued by the Primary and Secondary Healthcare Department, the quarantine will be effective from midnight tonight till August 5. But traders defying the lockdown, open their shops of clothes, shoes, cosmetics and other nonessential items in Attock city, Hazro and Hassanabdal where people were seen shopping for upcoming festival of Eid Ul Azha not observing Standing Operating Procedures (SoPs) especially shopkeepers and shoppers both were seen without masks and no hand sanitizer facility was available in the shops.
Over violation of lockdown, the respective assistant commissioners in these three cities along with officials of municipal administration and police swings in to action and paid visit to the major markets and directed the traders to shut their shops especially nonessential items but instead they made hostage the administrative officials and defy government orders.
