KARAHCI, Oct 14: While light tremors have jolted some posh areas of the city, the expatriate community does not appear perturbed as there was no report of any exodus of foreigners in the past one week.
Former chairman Overseas Investors Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OICCI) and Chairman and Managing Director of Shell Pakistan Limited Farooq Rahmatullah claimed that the foreigners stationed in Karachi were showing no signs of nervousness over the tremors felt in some areas of the port city.
“As a matter of fact that the foreigners working in the multinational companies (MNCs) are comfortable and have no plans to leave for their homeland,” he said.
OICCI represents 164 MNCs and roughly it has over 100 expatriates working happily in Pakistan and they are still here, he said.
“Shell has some expatriates,” he said adding that “no foreigner has raised the city tremor issue with me.”
Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Khalid Firoz said that there were no reports of foreigners leaving Karachi due to panic created by light tremors in the posh areas.
“Being the head of a premier chamber I meet many foreigners and diplomats daily who have been here for many years and they have not shown any sign of nervousness”, the KCCI chief said.
However, he said that some Chinese and other foreigners, who have recently been posted here, had asked about the recent jolt in DHA and Clifton saying whether these were the regular feature of the city or if it was a temporary phenomenon.
“The foreigners have definitely shown their concern over the recent tremors in Karachi,” he added.
Majyd Aziz, former chairman of Site Association of Industry, said that no foreigner had left the city owing to tremors during the last six months.
He said he had been meeting with various foreigners and diplomatic missions who appear least bothered about the jolt felt in DHA and Clifton areas. “There is no panic among foreigners as they are taking this issue as a routine exercise,” he claimed.
Chairman aviation committee of the FPCCI Yahya Polani said that there was no such issue that foreigners were departing to their homeland.
