DAILY BUSINESS RECORDER Industrial, business community for steps to improve law, order June 11, 2014 N H ZUBERI The industrial and business community has urged the government to take practical measures to improve law and order situation, as the worsening law and order situation is tarnishing the image of the city and sending negative signals to the international community as well as creating unrest among general public and business community. The business community in Karachi is extremely disturbed over attack on Karachi Airports and increasing terrorists activities in Karachi. They urged the federal government to take notice of deteriorating law and order situation and go for stringent measures in order to restore peace in Karachi. Imtiz Ahmed, an industrialist, expressed dissatisfaction over measures taken by law enforcing agencies, saying that the recent attack on Karachi airport indicate the measures adopted by the law enforcing agencies fail to produce any positive results. He said that they see the Prime Minister and Chief Minister often took notice of terrorism incidents and security was put on high alert after each incident, but the situation did not improve. Despite that one can see vehicles with tinted glasses and without number plate roam freely and no one stop them, he added. He was of the view that the recent wave of terrorism and deteriorating law and order situation indicates the law enforcement agencies are not performing their duties well. Vice Chairman Site Association of Industry (SAI) Yousuf Yaqoob urged the federal and provincial governments to devise a comprehensive security policy to give protection to general pubic and business community and industrialists of Karachi. He said that SITE industrialists were under constant threats due to the prevailing law and order situation in Karachi. He further stated that due to widespread terrorism, the country has suffered a loss of Rs 6.69 billion during the period of July 2013 to March 2014. He criticised the government over recent reshuffling in Karachi District Administration and Karachi Police. According to him, the Deputy Commissioner West Karachi and former Additional IGP Karachi had played a key role in controlling the worsening law and order situation and crimes rate in Site industrial area but they were transferred suddenly without any consultation with the SITE Association. President Karachi Electronic Dealers Association (KEDA) Muhammad Idrees has urged the government to install scanners at all the entry/exit points of the city in order to stop influx of explosives into the financial hub of Pakistan. He also urged the government to announce compensation to businessmen whose goods at the Cargo area of Karachi Airport were set ablaze in the terrorists attack on Sunday night. He said that the business community has suffered losses of millions of rupees due to terrorists strike in the cargo area of Karachi airport but no announcement has been made by the government to compensate the losses. President Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI), Abdullah Zaki, while expressing deep concerns over the attack on Karachi Airport followed by another attack on ASF Academy on Tuesday, urged the federal government to take notice of total insecurity in Karachi as these consecutive assaults along with poor law and order situation are tarnishing the image of Karachi and sending negative signals to the international community. In a statement he said: We, the business and industrial community of Karachi, are supporters of democracy in the country and do not want the Army to take over but at the same time, we demand from the government to take immediate action against criminals irrespective of cast, color and creed or any political affiliations whatsoever. The government must use all resources at its disposal including Police, Rangers and Frontier Constabulary or even, if needed, the Army as well because it is the duty of the state to provide security to the life and property of its citizen, otherwise the Business & Industrial Community may retaliate in any way they deem fit, he added Zaki was of the opinion that Pakistan Rangers Sindh and police department are not in a position to restore peace as it will be requiring stringent strategy to fully restore peace in this city. Since Police and Rangers have already been tested, the government must move to the next step and use its constitutional authority to call in the Army in aid of Civil Government under the Constitution of Pakistan to bring peace to Karachi. President KCCI said that Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar has no time to hold consultation on poor security situation with one of the main stakeholders of Karachi city, ie the business community. Although KCCI has approached the Federal Interior Minister to meet KCCI representatives at least four times and many phone calls have also been made to seek time for this important meeting since PML-N government came into power but to date, the minister has not responded to the request of Karachi Chamber, which represents more than 85 percent of the local business community. If the Federal Interior Minister is not willing to meet the business community, it should be informed accordingly so that we stop contacting him, he added. Abdullah Zaki, while highlighting the overall insecurity in Karachi, said that over 70 percent of crimes of all kinds take place using mobile phones and the only solution is to shut down all the prepaid Sims in one go and get them reissued to their postal addresses as per CNIC through courier services. It will get rid of all those sims which were illegally issued and this process can be done in just three days as the mobile companies are fully computerised but we have noticed that these companies are providing other solutions which actually are not perfect and are kind of delaying tactics meanwhile people are dying, he added. Under the prevailing circumstances, President KCCI said that even domestic travellers are afraid of visiting Karachi city by air due to assaults at Karachi airport whereas the rising lawlessness across the city along with massive live coverage to such incidents by TV channels are likely to keep foreigners, particularly the businessmen and investors, away from Pakistan. If situation goes on like this, the aftermaths will certainly appear in the economic indicators of the country as Karachi city, being the financial and commercial hub of Pakistan, contributes substantial revenue to the national kitty and any negligence in timely and effectively dealing with the security situation of Karachi will not only affect this city but also the entire country, President KCCI warned.
Posted on: Thu, 12 Jun 2014 04:30:49 +0000
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