Pakistan restaurant owners warn of reopening eateries

Islamabad : The All Pakistan Restaurants Association has warned the government that it will open eateries across the country if they were not allowed to resume work by May 30, it was reported on Saturday.

Members of the Joint Action Committee (JAC) of the association in a press conference on Friday said that around 100,000 restaurants across the country will reopen by June 1, reports Dawn news.

JAC members said five million workers, vendors and relevant stakeholders were jobless since the government shut hotel business in mid-March.

The association's president and JAC chairman, Sheikh Abdul Waheed, said the government had allowed takeaway service but it benefitted only a handful of multinational fast food outlets as majority of the local restaurants did not have such clientele.

He said the restaurants had paid salaries to the employees for two months but it had become impossible to continue to pay them since there was no business at all because of the closure of eatries.