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Rallies, blasts mar business at The Mall

By: Ashraf Javed | Published: July 03, 2009
LAHORE - The traders and shopkeepers are increasingly shifting their businesses from The Mall to some peaceful and trouble-free areas in the City as frequent strikes, rallies and violent protests coupled with terrorist attacks have dampened business activities at the historic road. 
The Mall, once considered the hub of cultural and business activities in the City with heavy rush of shoppers everywhere and all the time, is presenting deserted look these days. 
Heavy police deployment, barriers and barricades at the road and its complete closure during everyday protests, rallies and shut down strikes have badly affected the business. 
“More than 100 shops are on sale in the Panorama shopping center while 20 shops have been put on sale in the Naqi Market as the shopkeepers have shifted their businesses to peaceful areas in other parts of the City,” Raja Hamid Riaz, President Mall Road Traders Association said, when contacted. 
He said the business activities had come to a halt at The Mall as shutter down strikes, violent protests and rallies have become order of the day at this road. 
“Frequent strikes, rallies and protests have destroyed business at The Mall. A good number of leading shopkeepers have shifted to Liberty Market and Gulberg areas. While rest of them are likely to follow the same in the days to come as business is no more here,” Raja Hamid Riaz said. 
He also informed that the traders of The Mall fired more than 6,000 workers in the recent past to curtail their expenditures as the strikes and protests halted business activities. 
“The Mall becomes no-go-area for shoppers whenever an bomb blast takes place in its adjoining areas. The customers avoid visiting The Mall after such incidents,” Raja maintained. 
He said the lawyers’ movement that lasted for more than two years hit the business activities hard at The Mall. 
Every Thursday, the police used to block the road for the lawyers’ protest rally from GPO Chowk to Faisal Chowk and this practice continued for no less than two years. 
The police used to block entry of all kinds of traffic at The Mall by putting barricades barriers on both sides to avoid any untoward happening during the lawyers protest rally. Later these protests had gone violent, creating more trouble for the businessmen.