Supreme Court orders to open Karachi shopping malls, markets

KARACHI: Amid the soaring number of coronavirus cases, Pakistan’s top court has set aside Sindh government’s order to keep major shopping malls closed in Karachi as part of its virus containment efforts.

A five-member larger bench of the apex court passed the order while hearing a suo moto case to review measures taken against the virus outbreak.

Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed observed that shopkeepers would die of hunger rather than the coronavirus if their businesses remained shut.

The chief justice said that every market is open in Karachi except big shopping malls.

Commissioner Karachi Iftikhar Shallwani told the court that a few markets were sealed for violation of the Standard Operating Procedures put forth by the government.

“The sealed markets should be opened and instead of intimidating them (shop owners) make them understand (the situation and SOPs),” remarked the top judge.

The apex court also ordered that on the weekends, all the small markets should remain open to public.

Anjaman Tajran -e- Pakistan, a traders body, has welcomed the Supreme Court’s decision to allow opening of markets and shopping malls throughout the week.