KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Tuesday said Bangladesh’s exports had reached $40 billion while Pakistan’s were stuck at $25bn as our policies were not business friendly.

“I am going to constitute a working group with industrialists so that their problems could be solved in consultation with them,” he said while speaking at a reception he had hosted for the members of Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FPCCI) and other leading businessmen here at the Sindh CM House.

Around 180 leading industrialists, including SM Muneer, Dr Ikhtiar Baig, Zubair Tufail, Khalid Tawab, Dr Noman Idress Butt, Hanif Gohar, Ishtiaq Baig, Zahid Iqbal Chaudhry and various others attended the event.

“Pakistan used to export urea but today the country is facing its acute shortage which would badly affect our Rabi crops. I am surprised that we are faced with a shortage of gas, wheat, and sugar which we were exporting,” CM Shah lamented, adding that this was the result of our defective policies.

Mr Shah said that the industrialists and other business community members were the backbone of this country. “Your [businessmen’s) contribution in the national economy has proved to be a propelling wheel to run the country,” he said.

Mr Shah added that he was going to notify a working group of businessmen at CM House to discuss and resolve their issues with mutual consultation. He further said that he had directed the provincial industries and revenue ministers to start remove encroachments, if any, from the industrial areas of the province. “We would discuss in our cabinet to explore ways and means to reduce the price of the industrial plots being developed in new industrial zones,” he said. He further said that his government would resolve the issues of water shortage, gas and electricity at industrial areas.

CM Shah urged businessmen to establish export-oriented industrial units so that national export could be enhanced. “We have to invest in the food processing industry, automobile, software industry, medicines and such other export-oriented goods,” he said.

The chief minister extended good wishes for the contestants of the FPCCI forthcoming election. “I am sure Sindh will lead the FPCCI,” he hoped.

Earlier, leading industrialist Mr Munir thanked the chief minister for his business friendly policies and approach.

Published in Dawn, December 29th, 2021