Prime Minister Imran Khan has convened a meeting of representatives of Faisalabad’s business community in Islamabad on Wednesday (February 26).

The meeting is taking place against the backdrop of an ongoing protest by the business community in Faisalabad. Faisalabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FCCI) President Sikandar-e-Azam will lead a delegation of representatives of the business community to the meeting with the prime minister. The delegation will take up with the prime minister issues like power tariff, prices of gas and petroleum products, restoration of zero-rating for their products and abolition of the CNIC condition for people doing shopping worth Rs50,000 or more.

Earlier, members of Faisalabad’s business community set up a protest camp at the city’s Clock Tower Chowk. Seeing the power show, the prime minister decided to listen to them and solve their problems. Speaking at the Clock Tower protest, FCCI President Sikandar reminded the prime minister of the promises he made before coming into power like cheap gas and petrol for industrialists. He said the incumbent government set the condition of CNIC for shopping above Rs50,000, leading to closure of the industry. He said the incumbent government also deprived the industry of the zero-rating system. He said the government is forcing industrialists to close their industrial units, but they don’t want to deprive people of their livelihood. He said the protesting business community had given the government eight-day deadline to accept their demands.

The protesting traders said they were fed up with government’s promises and they would not accept increase in gas and power tariff. On this occasion, FCCI Senior Vice President Zafar Sarwar assured the protesting traders that Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Trade and Industry Abdur Razzaq Dawood would visit Faisalabad on Friday and listen to their demands.

Ayub Aslam Manj said everything was cheap before the PTI came into power and then the entire scenario changed in one-and-a-half years. Workers of all trade organisations participated in the protest.