LAHORE - The traders and businessmen on Wednesday announced to observe complete shutterdown strike across Punjab on October 25th against loadshedding, incidents of terrorism and high taxes. "We have decided to go on strike against loadshedding, terrorism and economic crisis in the country. The traders and industrialists will observe strike all over the Punjab. Shops will be shut down and the factories will remain closed throughout the province," Azhar Saeed Butt, President Qaumi Taajir Ittehad and Zonal Chairman Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) told reporters after the fourth meeting of the Zonal Committee here at FPCCI office on Wednesday. "We are unable to understand who is running the country's affairs. The present govt is multiplying the miseries of the people instead of providing them any relief. It seems that the govt is not interested in solving the problems being faced by the people' he said. He further announced that complete shutterdown strike would be observed in the Punjab province on October 25 against the worsening law and order situation, devaluation of rupee against dollar, energy crisis and terrorism. He said that during the next meeting of the Zonal Committee of FPCCI to be held on October 18, the traders and industrialists would be convinced to extend the strike to all over Pakistan. 'It will be countrywide shutter down strike against lawlessness and gas and electricity loadshedding', he added. Earlier, addressing the meeting of the Zonal Committee of the FPCCI, the President Qaumi Taajir Ittehad also said that the country is facing severe financial crisis due to bomb blasts and terrorist activities taking place all over Pakistan. 'Bomb blasts have become order of the day in the country especially in NWFP and FATA when Pakistan is facing one of the worst financial crises. Our economy is on the verge of collapse', he said. Former President FPCCI Iftikhar Ali Malik, Rahmatullah Javed, Khawaja Khawar Rashid, Nadeem Bhatti, Tahir Malik, Adil Mahmood, Aziz-ur-Rehman Chan and Osama Ahsan were also present on this occasion besides a number of traders and industrialists from all over the country who participated in the meeting. Azhar Saeed said that the devaluation of rupee is badly affecting our economy and the economy could not be improved without maintaining law and order and formulating better economic policies. He said that the govt failed to stabilise the rupee against US dollar, which is badly affecting the economic growth in the country. He further said that the govt has also badly failed to resolve the problems being faced by the masses. He said that the govt is behaving with the traders and industrialists in a stepmotherly way instead of providing them any relief. He also alleged that the Director General Trade Organisation of Ministry of Commerce had not issued licenses to many trader bodies despite the fact that these trade bodies are more than 70-years old. He said that although trade organisation ordinance and rules has lost its value due to non-presentation in the Parliament but even then DGTO is creating hurdles in the way of issuing licences to genuine trade bodies. However, he said that bureaucracy is dealing with the business community roughly as the staff of the Collectorate of Customs had beaten the President Clearing Agent Association Khawaja Shahid on the mere issue of Customs duty at Dry Port Lahore and created sense of insecurity among the traders. He also asked the govt to suspend the Collector Customs Lahore and initiate impartial inquiry against him to provide justice to the victims immediately.