KARACHI: Perturbed by the deteriorating law and order situation, ongoing power crisis, depleting foreign exchange reserves and precarious economic conditions of the country, the business community on Saturday urged the caretaker government to expand its responsibility not just focus on than ‘holding free and fair elections’.

A well attended meeting of member trade bodies, chambers, associations and market committees of the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) held at the Federation House on Saturday passed a ten point resolution seeking early solutions to the issues. The meeting was chaired by president FPCCI Zubair Ahmed Malik.

The resolution sought immediate steps for improving law and order situation across the country and particularly Karachi. It strongly demanded that Karachi should be de-weaponised and police should be de-politicised.

Similarly, the worsening power crisis with load shedding extended up to 18 hours in the Punjab and elsewhere should also be resolved at the earliest. For overcoming the circular debt, the FPCCI resolution demanded that government should reduce its unnecessary expenditures and divert funds towards power generation.

Power Sharing It was unanimously resolved that business community under FPCCI umbrella should set-up a pressure group of traders and industrialists. It was also demanded that before elections of May 11 the city of Karachi should be handed over to the army for a period of three weeks.

However, one of the unique demands from the business community was for having a say in transfer and posting of police in the city. Interestingly, the resolution also urged upon the business community in particularly and public at large to actively participate in the elections by casting their votes.

Senator Abdul Haseeb Khan and a leading industrialist categorically said that May 11 elections were inevitable because an official team recently returned without getting any assurance from the IMF. “It seems that the fund will only deal with the elected government,” he noted.

He further said that depleted foreign exchange reserves at $6 billion (held by SBP) were sufficient only to meet two months import bill whereas the country also has to make some other payments including IMF installment.

He urged upon trade and industry to play their due role in upcoming elections if they want to see any change in the country. “Change will come only through ballot box and for this every body should cast his or her vote,” he added.

S M Muneer former president FPCCI and many other business leaders demanded that the army should be called because police and rangers are no more effective. He criticised that when ever the president or the prime minister come to city they only hold meetings with IG police, chief secretary and other officials whereas they should hold meetings with business community which is suffering on account of bad law and order situation and was still contributing revenue towards national exchequer.

Harmful Moves Haji Shafiq-ur-Rehman, a business leader said that under a planned move Punjab was being crippled through massive load shedding and Karachi by creating law and order situation. It is a clear attempt to disintegrate the country by creating conflicts.

He further said that due to deteriorating law and order and frequent strike calls by political parties, majority of markets in Karachi have become bankrupt.

“Meanwhile police and Rangers keep claiming about their achievements and operations against dacoits, ‘bhatta’ mafia and target killers,” he added.

Dr Mirza Ikhtiar Baig, who held different posts in the previous government including adviser to the prime minister, urged upon the business community to boycott all political parties who gave strike calls.

He also suggested that the business community should not pay mark up against loans for those days when the industry and business is closed by such strike calls and for this purpose should approach the State Bank.

Baig also demanded that the entire power sector should be privatised and in order to overcome issue of depleted foreign exchange reserves imports all category of luxury goods be banned henceforth. He also suggested that 5 per cent of the total annual remittances should be diverted for resolving energy crisis.

Attiq Mir chairman Karachi Tajir Ittehad said his members on daily basis faced extortion and other anti-social elements and had been for the last eight years looking forward for some action against such elements.

He maintained that the business community could not get its issues resolved till such time they form their own pressure group. “As a first step they should close their business and industrial establishments throughout the city,” he suggested. He disclosed that due to increasing incidents of ‘bhatta,’ target killing and abduction for ransom, ‘tax culture in the city is also dying fast’.

He offered the FPCCI the shutter power of Karachi Tajir Ittehad for making their demands accepted by the government.

Iftikhar Zaidi of Fishing and Trawlers Association said: “We cannot get the government to accept our demands till such time we stop paying taxes.”

Representative of Association of Builders and Developers (ABAD) said that due to bad law and order situation for the last two years no major high-rise project was announced by any of its members.

He further said that around 40 projects located in the close vicinity of Sohrab Goth had been stopped by the developers due to law and order situation. If construction industry operates, it will help around 37 other industries to operate but unfortunately for the last several years no major project had been announced by any of the ABAD members, he noted.