Small vendors\' business slumps

As Punjab's anti-encroachment operation is ongoing in full swing, the mounting toll of demolished livelihoods is now compounded by a visible slump in economic activity across once-thriving markets, raising urgent questions about the balance between urban order and economic survival. Initiated under Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif's directives, the drive has cleared sidewalks, roads and government land of thousands of informal shops and stalls. But in their absence, markets once alive with trading are now quiet, leaving both ordinary vendors and customers grappling with reduced income and rising prices along with an uncertain future. As per rough estimates made by different trade bodies and small vendors, who accounted for nearly 30% of daily retail transactions in major cities, the foot traffic in Lahore's historic Anarkali Bazaar alone has decreased by approximately 40% due to the anti-encroachment campaign.