LAHORE Almost all major markets, trade centres and shopping plazas of the provincial capital remained closed on Friday. The traders observed shutter down strike yesterday not to condemn the death sentence of Mumtaz Qadri by the court but due to security fear. Citys main markets, including Anarkali, Kashmiri Bazaar, Shahalam Market, Akbari Mandi, Rang Mahal Bazaar, Yateem Khana, Mozang Bazaar, Liberty Market, Main Market, Urdu Bazaar, Hall Road, Beden Road, The Mall, Panorama Centre and Ichhra Bazaar remained completely closed. Traders said that the fear element forced all traders associations in the provincial capital to join religious bodies strike call. So, the city markets remained shut to secure their businesses and to avoid any untoward incident. All Pakistan Anjuman-e-Tajiran president Ashraf Bhatti said that his group did not issue any circular in this regard or held any meeting to decide the closure of the markets and the trade bodies of every market decided on their own to shut their shops. He said that no traders body attended the protest rally by the religious parties. If any trader participated in the demonstration it was its individual action not the decision of any trader group. He said that to keep the market closed was just to avoid any untoward incident. He said that almost all trade centres, main bazaars and shopping plazas remained shut the whole day, however some shops were also seen opened in small bazaars. Anjuman-e-Tajiran Shah Alam Board said in a circular that the traders observed shutter down in solidarity with the decision of the religious parties. The circular further said that the markets were also closed against severe laodshedding and worst law and order in the country. Some representatives of the All Pakistan Anjuman-e-Tajiran Lahore talking to The Nation said that they have nothing to do with the issue of Mumtaz Qadri, neither they want to force the courts to change their verdicts. They said that religious bodies are very powerful, so it is impossible for shopkeepers to ignore them, by rejecting their strike call. Market sources said that several groups of the traders were not willing to join the shutter down strike call of the religious parties but they had to surrender the majoritys decision. Anjuman-e-Tajiran Urdu Bazaar president Kahlid Pervaiz said that all traders bodies had decided to not open their businesses and the decision was taken to protect their property, he added.