Newspaper deliveries across Islamabad were suspended after municipal authorities sealed Akhbar Market in Aabpara over disputed dues of around Rs. 10 million.
The action was carried out by the Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad’s Directorate of Municipal Administration (DMA). The closure disrupted supplies to residents, the Prime Minister’s Office, the President’s Office, and embassies.
The All Pakistan Akhbar Farosh Federation disputed the demand, saying it had cleared the market’s rent. Its representatives alleged that the claimed dues related to an adjacent vacant plot that had never been allotted or leased to the federation.
Federation Secretary General Tikka Khan and other representatives met Chief Commissioner and CDA Chairman Sohail Ashraf, seeking his intervention. The federation said newspaper supplies would remain suspended until the market was unsealed.
A DMA official defended the closure, maintaining that the market had outstanding charges, while saying the matter was being examined.
Separately, the DMA kept the G-6 and H-9 weekly bazaars closed on Friday over fire safety concerns, inconveniencing shoppers and vendors.
Authorities said both markets would reopen once CDA’s emergency services verified fire prevention arrangements and issued clearance. Vendors maintained that they had installed functional safety equipment and requested inspections.
The H-9 bazaar has experienced repeated fires, including a major blaze in June that began in Block C, which mainly houses shoe stalls. Officials said safety requirements would not be relaxed.
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