Karachi Chamber of Commerce & Industry’s President Mian Abrar Ahmad stated that Pakistan was interested in joining Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) and in turn sought Indonesian support in this regard since both Muslim countries had deep-rooted brotherhood and relationship encompassed over decades. In a meeting with the Consul General of Indonesia Rossalis Rusman Adenan at KCCI, he voiced that signing of PTA on the occasion of 62nd anniversary of Pak-Indonesia Friendship was a hallmark to open new chapter of economic and commercial cooperation. KCCI believes that the Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) would bring closure the business communities of both countries and would boost the bilateral trade ties. He hoped that the PTA would lead to Free Trade Agreement (FTA) sooner. As a result of PTA, Pak Indonesia bilateral trade could escalate up to $2 billion in the coming years from the current figure of around $800 million. Indonesia would be able to increase its export of crude palm oil to Pakistan whereas Pakistan could in turn export its value added textiles, carpets, fabrics, leather and export goods, chemicals, surgical, etc, he iterated. He urged for Indonesia-Pakistan joint ventures in crude palm oil and agricultural value added products. He also asserted upon the need of building trading blocks of Pakistan with Asian countries, ECO, Central Asian Republics and SAARC countries. He asserted Pakistan is located in between these three blocks and due to its geo-strategic position, Indonesia and the countries worldwide may be able to explore these blocks through Pakistan. To uplift the Pakistan economy he voiced to enhance regional trade.
President of Pakistan-Indonesia Business Forum (PIBF) & former President KCCI Abdul Majid Haji Muhammad, while speaking on the occasion, reminisced that the diplomatic relations between two countries had been established in 1949 and both brother countries were indeed massive markets since together Indonesia and Pakistan formed over 400 million of Muslim population – which is over 1/3 of the entire Muslim population of the world. A number of Pakistani soldiers fought alongside Indonesians in their struggle for independence. Indonesia was among the first countries to recognise Pakistan and soon after the partition of India its president, Sukarno also paid an official visit to Pakistan in 1950. He anticipated that Pakistan-Indonesia Business Forum would play a vital role in further enhancing and strengthening of the mutually beneficial trade ties between the business communities of two brother Muslim Countries. Consul General of Indonesia Rossalis Rusman Adenan recognised the vibrant role of the Karachi chamber with regards to promoting trade and industry, Indonesia-Pakistan bilateral trade and formation of Pakistan-Indonesia Business Forum (PIBF). He informed that the Indonesia-Pakistan Preferential Trade Agreement would be enforced by July 2012 and that the Indonesian Commerce Minister would be visiting Pakistan next month to meet his counterpart and discuss the implementation of PTA. He stated that Pakistan and Indonesia signed PTA on 4th February, 2012 whereby Indonesia agreed to offer market access to Pakistan on 216 tariff lines on preferential rate while Pakistan has offered 287 tariff lines.
TRADERS REJECT FG DECISION: Karachi Chamber of Commerce & Industry’s President Mian Abrar Ahmad understood that the Federal Government is closing Karachi for two days in week which according to him was not acceptable and he iterated that KCCI rejected the proposal of the federal government in totality. He asserted that the proposal would not only ruin the trade and industry of Karachi, which generates 68 percent revenue for the national exchequer and handles 98 percent ports activities for the country. Therefore, he continued, any proposal to withdraw gas supply to trade and industry of Karachi would be rejected and would force the business and industrial community in general to act against the Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) and the Federal Government as Article 158 of the Constitution of Pakistan supported their contention. Likewise, any attempt to withdraw 300 megawatts from Jamshoro supply out of 650 megawatts be resented and would not be acceptable under any circumstances, he categorically stated.
President KCCI said, “We also believe this is a deliberate and unconstitutional act not only to ruin the Karachi’s trade and industry but also to bring the industry at halt resulting in discontinuation of production and unemployment which will ultimately create unrest on the streets of Karachi further aggravating already fragile law and order situation in the city.”
Unfulfilled Promises, Volume 3, Chapter 12
