Pakistan Ship Agents Association (PSAA) has demanded that the committee appointed by the government to investigate the berths' collapse at Karachi port be disbanded immediately. Captain Rasheed Abro, Vice-Chairman, PSAA told Business Recorder here on Thursday that the Association has summoned an emergent meeting here on Friday to discuss the "catastrophe".
He said it would be more prudent that a high powered committee headed by the Chief Justice of High Court along with members from the professional community and Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) be formed. The report of this committee be made public and proper accountability be made of the people responsible for this disaster which would seriously affect Pakistan's trade in the years ahead.
He said that this committee appointed by the government cannot produce impartial results as the Chairman of the committee is also trustee of the Karachi Port Trust (KPT) and the other two members are employees of federal government. Their report would be biased and favour KPT.
Elaborating further, he said that the collapse of berths has put the entire trade of the country in a state of uncertainty as port authorities have restricted all the container vessels to berth at container terminals only. This would result in waiting for container vessels and in all possibility, every owner charging port congestion charges in the range of US $300 to US $400 per 20' ft container.
Captain Abro said that the country is passing through a critical period of time where textile industry, major bread earner for millions of Pakistanis is suffering due to high cost of doing business. With the imposition of expected surcharge our exports would become costlier in comparison to our competitors. He estimated that trade deficit may thus touch US $15.0 billion, shattering the dreams of President General Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz of making Pakistan economically strong.
Vice-Chairman, PSAA said that the gift on the 60th anniversary of Pakistan by KPT in the shape of collapse of berths is difficult to digest. Country is going to suffer losses in billions of dollars in the shape of freight enhancement, demurrages, penalties and cancellation of contracts due to either late shipment of late deliveries of raw material.
Agriculture sector will also suffer heavily as vessels laden with fertiliser may have to wait for berthing and the expensive Di Ammonium Phosphate (DAP) may become more costly. The result would be that the farmer would either be forced not to use the DAP or the Chaudhris and Waderas in the government may force increase in the price of wheat and other commodities, thereby, making living for ordinary people more difficult and resultantly force unemployed youth run into the hands of terrorists.
This is a case where judicial inquiry could only reveal facts about mismanagement in the Karachi Port, he said. Abro recalled that KPT in the past had also been responsible for inflicting misery on the citizens living in Defence and Clifton areas following the spillage of oil from 'Tasman Spirit'.
There were strong representations by the mariner's community and others demanding that persons responsible for this disaster must resign and the facts behind the tragedy are brought before the nation.
Almost three years have passed but no one has resigned and those responsible for the disaster were still sitting comfortably and are proposing disastrous projects like Deep Water Port near the Growyn yard, which may result in the collapse of oil jetties, cutting life line of the country.
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