President Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Zahidullah Shinwari vowed they would make vigorous efforts to regain Prime Minister Fiscal Relief Package for war-affected business community of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, as terrorism situation still prevails there.
Speaking at a news conference here at the chamber house on Wednesday, Shinwari said the PM fiscal relief package has greatly benefited for revival of terrorism-affected businesses and industries in the province, but the province is still facing terrorism situation, so they would make efforts to regain the package.
"The poor law and order, extortion mafia, electricity load shedding and kidnapping for ransom, are the key issues, which being faced by the business community, for which he said would make all possible efforts and struggle to overcome these issues, SCCI chief reiterated.
Regarding the failure of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government organised investment conference in Karachi, he said the investment moot failed to get desirable objectives due to not taking the business community and industrialists on board for holding of this important business conference. He said despite spending Rs 150million on this investment and trade-show in Karachi, businesspersons were not inclined to invest in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.
Flanked by SCCI vice president Mohammad Shafiq, Mohamamd Taimoor Shah, executive members, Riaz Arshad, Sharafat Ali Mubarak, Malik Iftikhar Hussain Awan, he demanded of the government to probe this flop trade show, for which huge provincial funds were used. Criticizing the incumbent PTI-led government, he said it has yet to devise a roadmap for changing economic and social perspective of the province. He said Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa stood at eight position in Ease of doing business owing to the poor and law and unfavourable business environment, while the Faisalabad at first position ranking. Therefore, he asked the government to make serious efforts, and the business community would fully support in this regard.
Expressing concern over imposition of ban on new industrial connection in KP, he said that the province is net gas exporter, despite that the restriction was totally unjustified. He warned if the SNGPL would not lift ban on new industrial connection, they would move to court against it. He also criticized the PML-N government for imposition of new two percent tax on essential commodities and home appliance by FBR, through which the poverty stricken masses could be indirectly affected.
