Karachi Chamber of Commerce & Industry (KCCI), expressing deep concern over government move for energy conservation, rejected the proposal of 5-days working week and two-weekly holidays for all government departments and its affiliated institutions. President, KCCI Mian Abrar Ahmad, in a statement, said that the country was passing through most difficult times of its history.
He strongly opposed the ‘two-holidays’ proposal likely to be submitted in scheduled Energy Conference to be chaired by the Prime Minister. He said that the previous practice by the Government when the 5 day working week was observed for public sector, customs and ports; severely hampered the commercial and industrial activity, exports of consignments and timely clearance of goods were suffered. He said that due to such practices Pakistan remained cut off for three and a half days with rest of the world.
Mian Abrar was of the view that to uplift the economy, Government must consider curtailing the gazetted holidays and rejecting the proposals of bureaucracy for two weekly holidays and advancing the clock in the name of energy conservation. He stated that such exercises proved futile in the past and every segment of life was disturbed by such activities.
Exporters maintaining trade ties with Gulf countries faced additional elimination of Friday being observed as holiday in Gulf. Same is the case for customs and ports and they cannot be closed down for two days as their closure will stop valuable exports of this country and timely clearance of imported goods.
Mian Abrar voiced that conservation was a crying need of the day but the same must not be done while penalising commerce and industry. He was of the view that such practices will ultimately severely impede business activities leading to decline in government’s revenue and economic instability.
