Islamabad, May 15 : The business community in Pakistan's Peshawar held a protest rally against the smart lockdown imposed by the government, local media reported on Friday.

The protest, led by the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Traders' Organisation, witnessed participation of a large number of shopkeepers and businessmen, who shouted slogans and called for an immediate rollback of the lockdown, a reduction in petroleum product prices, and taking immediate measures to curb inflation, Pakistan's daily The Express Tribune reported.

While addressing the protesters on Thursday, the organisation's prominent leaders slammed the government's approach.

One speaker said, "The lockdown has neither benefited the government nor the traders. Shops are forced to shut down by 8 pm, but during the scorching summer, people begin their shopping only after evening. This decision has failed to resolve the energy crisis and offers no relief to the public on petroleum products."

Protesters said that the continuous increase in petrol prices has pushed basic commodities beyond the reach of ordinary citizens.

They said, "Fuel prices have soared so high that an ordinary citizen can no longer afford basic necessities. The lockdown decision must be reversed immediately, and concrete steps must be taken to control inflation."

The business community warned of further escalation if the government does not agree to their demands and pledged to continue their struggle until the government rolls back what they termed an ill-conceived and economically damaging policy.

On May 9, transporters in Pakistan's Peshawar and across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province held protests against a hike in prices of petroleum products.

Dozens of transport operators gathered at the Hajji Camp Terminal in Peshawar and demanded an immediate reduction in prices of petrol and diesel, The Express Tribune reported.

While addressing the protesters, transport leader Zubair Ahmed Qureshi said that the prices of petroleum are increasing while CNG is unavailable.

The protest was held as the transporters have increased fares for the fifth time within a single month after the latest fuel adjustment. Fares of AC vehicles have witnessed a steep rise, while the fares of non-AC buses have increased by five per cent, as per the report.

/IANS