MULTAN (Staff Reporter): Central Chairman of the Central Organization of Traders Pakistan, Khawaja Suleman Siddiqui, has said that those who claimed they would turn Multan into Paris have revived memories of Harappa and Mohenjo-daro. He said the Lahore government and the Multan administration were responsible for the situation and had no concern for the hardships faced by the people of Multan.

“There is still time for the Multan administration to come to its senses; otherwise, protests will now be held on a daily basis,” he said.

He expressed these views while addressing a gathering held to congratulate the newly elected office-bearers of the Anjuman Tajran Chowk No. 22, including President Rana Muhammad Shahzaib, General Secretary Malik Bilawal Bhutta, Patron-in-Chief Malik Arshad Bhutta, Chairman Malik Zeeshan Azim Bhutta and others.

On the occasion, President of South Punjab Sheikh Javed Akhtar, President of Multan Khalid Mahmood Qureshi, President of Usman Ghani Road Rana Muhammad Usman, Sheikh Altaf Hussain, Malik Kamran Bhutta, Haji Abdul Ghafoor, Malik Aziz Kamboh, Malik Shabbir Bhutta and others were also present.

Khawaja Suleman Siddiqui further said that Multan was the economic hub of South Punjab. However, due to the excavation being carried out by WASA for sewerage work in all the main markets across the city for several months, Multan had been turned into a scene of ruins. As a result, the entire business community of Multan was protesting.

President of South Punjab Sheikh Javed Akhtar and President of Multan Khalid Mahmood Qureshi said that the suspension of development work immediately after the launch of development projects appeared to be part of alleged conspiracies to keep Multan and South Punjab further backward. They said that no amount of condemnation of the situation would be enough.

They said that as the businesses of small traders and shopkeepers had come to a standstill, it had become extremely difficult for them to meet the expenses of their shops and homes. In such circumstances, remaining silent was no longer possible for them.

They warned the Multan administration to come to its senses and not force the traders to take to the streets.

MULTAN: Central Chairman of the Central Organization of Traders Pakistan Khawaja Suleman Siddiqui, President of South Punjab Sheikh Javed Akhtar, President of Multan Khalid Mahmood Qureshi and President of Usman Ghani Road Rana Muhammad Usman pose for a group photograph while congratulating the newly elected President of Anjuman Tajran Chowk No. 22 Rana Muhammad Shahzaib, General Secretary Malik Bilawal Bhutta, Patron-in-Chief Malik Arshad Bhutta, Chairman Malik Zeeshan Azim Bhutta and other office-bearers.