LAHORE – Business community has all abilities and desire to pull the country out of economic mire but it lacks due backing from the government in shape of inconsistency in policies. These views were expressed by the former National Assembly member and former Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) president Qaiser Ahmad Sheikh, while speaking at a business gathering held here on Friday.
The PIAF Chairman Sohail Lashari, LCCI former president Mian Shafqat Ali, senior vice president Sheikh Mohammad Arshad, former senior vice president Tahir Javed Malik, former PIAF chairman Irfan Qaiser Sheikh, LCCI executive committee members and a large number of industrialists were present on the occasion. Qaiser Sheikh said that if the government brings transparency in its policies and parliamentarians play their role effectively nothing can stop Pakistan from attaining the status of business hub for the world.
The former MNA said people at large were expecting that the present government would bring a positive change, but unfortunately rulers have broken all previous records of borrowings. These massive borrowings are one of the major reasons of fast escalating inflation in the country. He said that for arresting the decline in economy and fast increasing graph of unemployment, the government would have to come up business friendly policies.
Sector-specific industrialisation is the only answer to many problems being faced by the trade and industry but to achieve the goal, government would have to initiate handholding of the business community, he added. Qaiser Ahmad Sheikh, however, urged the business community to increase their interaction and liaison with the Policy makers so that they could be able to have an enabling business atmosphere in the country.
He said that there are no two opinions about that in the absence of continuous supply of electricity and availability of cheaper money, both the local and foreign investments in the country would remain stagnant. He said that government has to initiate mega project like Kalabagh Dam as it is only solution to finish the menace of load-shedding.
He said that Kalabagh Dam is a mega project of national interest as it could end the water shortage and could generate more than 3.5GW cheap electricity. The people, who are crying against Kalabagh Dam, always avoid saying a word against Baghliar Dam, which shows that how much they are loyal with the country.
He also urged the government to allocate fund for a mega project in forthcoming budget as energy crisis getting deepen with every passing day.
