Peshawar [Pakistan], May 15 (ANI): Defying the government's controversial smart lockdown policy introduced to address the worsening energy crisis, hundreds of traders and shopkeepers staged a massive protest rally in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, intensifying pressure on authorities amid soaring inflation and rising fuel costs. The demonstration was organised by the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Traders' Organization and drew a large crowd of businessmen demanding an immediate reversal of the restrictions, as reported by The Express Tribune.

According to The Express Tribune, led by the organisation's president, Malik Mehr Elahi, protesters marched through key commercial areas while chanting slogans against what they described as an economically disastrous policy. The traders argued that the forced closure of markets by 8 pm has severely damaged business activity without providing any meaningful relief from the country's deepening power shortages.

Addressing the rally, several business leaders, including Shoukat Ali Khan, Shakil Ahmed Khan, Ameen Hussain Babar, and Ahsan Ali, criticised the government for imposing restrictions at a time when consumers prefer shopping during the cooler evening hours of summer. The speakers maintained that the policy had neither stabilised the energy situation nor reduced the burden on ordinary citizens struggling with record inflation. Participants in the protest said the ongoing increase in petroleum prices has driven sharp increases in the cost of daily necessities, placing immense financial strain on lower- and middle-income families.

Traders stated that the unchecked rise in fuel prices is crippling small businesses and reducing purchasing power across the province. The protesters further accused the government of ignoring the business community's concerns while implementing measures they believe are worsening the country's fragile economic environment, as cited by The Express Tribune.

Demonstrators vowed to intensify their movement if the smart lockdown policy is not withdrawn immediately and if urgent steps are not taken to control inflation and reduce petroleum prices. Trader representatives warned that continued restrictions could trigger wider unrest among Pakistan's struggling commercial sector in the coming weeks, as reported by The Express Tribune. (ANI)