Pakistan traders go back to work

Major markets around Pakistan have reopened after a two-week traders' strike against the military-led government's plans to broaden the tax laws.

Traders said they had reached a compromise agreement with the government over a nationwide tax survey designed to include them in the tax system.

The head of the small traders' organisation said strike action had been suspended for fifteen days and would resume if the government did not enter into further negotiations.

The government has already agreed to two of the traders' key demands -- to exempt small traders from providing details about their stocks in a nationwide questionnaire, and not to reopen last year's tax assessments.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service