PESHAWAR: Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Mohammad Ishaq on Tuesday urged commercial banks to help promote trade and industry in tribal districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

“Banks should encourage small, medium and large-scale businesses and industries in the province, especially tribal districts, by offering loans on easy terms,” Mr Ishaq told regional head of the National Bank of Pakistan Fakhkar Zaman in a meeting at the Chamber House here.

NBP chief manager Saif Afridi and SCCI vice-president Ejaz Khan Afridi and secretary general Sajjad Aziz were also present in the meeting.

The SCCI president said the government was taking measures to promote economic, commercial and industrial activities in tribal districts.

He said commercial banks should provide facilities to investors under one-window operation in tribal and other districts of the province.

Mr Ishaq urged banks to develop themselves along modern lines to improve the quality of service.

He said a leading businessman from the province, Senator Mohsin Aziz, had to its credit the State Bank of Pakistan (Amendment) Bill, 2021, which was meant to address “unjustified and inequitable credit lending” as demanded by smaller provinces.

The SCCI chief said before the bill’s passage by parliament, loan disbursements by commercial banks against deposits from KP and Balochistan totalled 1.35 per cent only but that percentage was likely to surge to five per cent to promote trade and industry.

He urged the NBP to promote corporate and Islamic banking and upgrade itself along modern lines.

Mr Ishaq also demanded of the bank to provide maximum possible facilities to clients, especially commercial ones.

Mr Zaman told him that the NBP was taking measures to improve its standards and provide facilities to consumers in light of their needs.

He said the initiatives were helping the bank grow by leaps and bounds.

The NBP regional head also informed him about the training sessions held for consumers under the National Financial Education Programme.

He said that the bank had planned to hold sessions, seminars and training workshops on people’s financial awareness.

Published in Dawn, March 1st, 2023