Anti-government protests hurt trade

Lahore: While opposition political parties and thousands of lawyers in Pakistan continued to stage vociferous rallies yesterday against the "suspension" of the country's top judge, they are perhaps "unaware" of the fact that they have made a lot of "enemies" in the process.

In Lahore, for example, their "enemies" include the worried parents who have to pick their kids up in a rush from dozens of schools located on and around The Mall, the city's main road.

Greeted by traffic muddles all their way, these parents were left with no other option but to hang around for long hours in the sweltering heat until the mob dispersed.

Consequently, they are now beginning to openly curse the elements agitating frequently on the roads.

Discomfort

In the words of a "frustrated" Khalid Khan, whose son studies at the Cathedral School falling on the rally route: "I have to leave my office an hour early on the days for which these protest calls are scheduled. A chaos at The Mall means that the traffic flow in the whole City is disturbed.

"My son is just seven and it is difficult for him to bear this discomfort for two hours after the school is closed. I bring his lunch with me, knowing it may take us a long time to reach home through alternative routes.'

Thousands of disgruntled traders doing businesses in more than 20 busy markets around The Mall have also begun to complain of a serious slump. Having to keep their shops shut for three to four hours on the days when these processions are taken out, these traders are grumbling over the regular halt in their business transactions.

Mohammad Bilal, CEO of a large company at the Charring Cross, said:" This is a regular practice at The Mall now. Politicians, religious clerics and lawyers are doing no good to us. No buyer turns up to my showroom during the days when these rallies are staged. On top of that, these raging mobs are out protesting in the streets, you can well imagine the state of affairs. I don't understand as to how long will these people keep on expressing their solidarity with the Chief Justice? They are doing it at the cost of our businesses."