‘Construction of flyover over Korangi River approved’: Trade bodies hold special functions to celebrate Independence Day

KARACHI: The Independence Day of Pakistan was celebrated in a simple but dignified manner by trade bodies and organisations on Sunday. To celebrate the 75th anniversary of Pakistan’s independence, the SITE Association of Industry organised a programme at which Sector Commander Brig Altaf Ahmed was the chief guest.

SITE’s Patron-in-Chief Zubair Motiwala along with its President Abdul Rasheed, former president and coordinator Saleem Parekh, other office-bearers and executive committee members welcomed to the association’s offices the commander, who hoisted the national flag and cut the cake to commemorate the day. The national anthem was played on the occasion.

Wing Commander Aftab Ahmed, Jahan Khan Niazi, DSP for SITE, Farooq Ahmed Lodhi, DSP Traffic for Pak Colony, SHO of SITE PS—A Bhai Khan, SHO of SITE PS-B Zawar Hussain, and officials of the SITE Limited, DC Keamari, Pakistan Rangers and police attended the event.

Former president Saleem Parekh, SVP Saud Mahmood, VP Muhammad Kamran Arbi, immediate past president Abdul Hadi, former SVPs Saleem Nagaria and Riazuddin, former VP Abdul Kadir Bilwani and members, namely Anwer Aziz, Khalid Riaz, Muhammad Riaz Dhedhi, Azeem M. Afzal Motiwala, Touseef Ahmed, Junaid Nawab, former VP Farhan Ashrafi, Haris Shakoor, Muhammad Hussain Moosani and others were also present on the occasion.

In his speech, Sector Commander Brig Altaf Ahmed praised the organisers of the programme and stressed the need to remain united and work collectively for the betterment of the country.

Patron-in-Chief Zubair Motiwala paid tribute to the Pakistan Army for their great sacrifices and selfless services for the nation and safeguarding the geographical frontiers of Pakistan. He also stressed the need for unity on all fronts for continued progress of the country.

President Abdul Rasheed also congratulated the participants on the happy occasion of Independence Day. Paying homage to those who were martyred during the Pakistan movement, he said that all Pakistanis should value independence.

He urged the business community to play their role in industrial development of the country.

Later, a flag march of Sindh Rangers, police personnel and Rangers Security Guards was kicked off from the SITE Association’s offices which passed through different routes in the SITE area. The office-bearers, former presidents and executive committee members of the association also participated in the flag march.

While speaking at the national flag-hoisting ceremony at the offices of Korangi Association of Trade and Industry (KATI), Administrator of Karachi Murtaza Wahab said that Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has approved construction of a flyover over the Korangi river for the benefit of the industrial area. The project will be developed in one year at a cost of Rs 5.5 billion.

The development work on this project will start on November 1 and the project will be completed by November 30, 2023. He said that the repair work of the Jam Sadiq Bridge will also be completed this year.

The government of Sindh has approved Rs 2.5 billion to repair the roads in the city which have been damaged in the rains, he said. The work will start soon.

Barrister Murtaza Wahab said that the provincial government has approved many schemes for improvements in the city, including the road in Korangi which will be built by the Sindh government for KATI.

On this occasion, KATI President Salman Aslam, KITE CEO Zubair Chhaya, UBG President Zubair Tufail, Administrator Korangi Javed Kalhor, Deputy Commissioner Korangi Muhammad Ali Zaidi, Senior Vice President Maheen Salman, Vice President Farrukh Qandhari, former presidents Gulzar Firoz, Farhan-ur-Rehman, Danish Khan, Johar Qandhari, Ehtishamuddin, Tariq Malik, and Hamud-ur-Rehman, Moazzam Qureshi and others were also present.

Murtaza Wahab said that KATI had always provided a positive feedback, for which he was grateful to SM Muneer, Salman Aslam and Zubair Chhaya. He said that it is very easy to criticise but no one encourages the caretakers on the ground who worked day and night during the rains in the last five weeks.

“We as a nation have not been grateful, and are always criticising everything. With this criticism, they are not defaming the name of Sindh government or any official, they are defaming their own city and country. A lot of positive things are happening in the city,” the administrator said.

In his speech, KATI President Salman Aslam said: “Today we want to give a positive message... In the recent rains, the way the Sindh government and all officials and employees have done the restoration work is commendable. Administrator Murtaza Wahab, Javed Kalhor, Muhammad Ali Zaidi, Moazzam Qureshi and other officials were present on the spot and... we are thankful for saving the lives of the people as the flood passed the Korangi Causeway yesterday.”

He said that the business community is striving for the survival and security of Pakistan because “Pakistanis are there only if Pakistan is there”.

Zubair Chhaya, the CEO of KITE Limited, said on the occasion that the current economic crisis is a global one which will pass in a few months, and Pakistan can never go bankrupt.

He said that the recent rains didn’t even spare the city’s posh areas. But due to the timely actions of the Sindh government, the situation in the Korangi industrial area was quickly brought under control. The floodwaters from Balochistan passed through the Korangi Causeway in which many vehicles and motorcycles got stuck, but lives of six people and their property were saved by the timely action of the authorities.

On the occasion of Independence Day there is a dire need to further strengthen national cohesion amongst the federation units and the main vehicle for this could be the creation of a new ‘Pakistani language’ — a language comprising words and phrases of all the regional languages, with the base provided by the country’s national language, Urdu.

This was expressed by Pasban Democratic Party Chairman Altaf Shakoor in his message for the day.

He said the ongoing undercurrents of anti-centre tendencies in provinces like Balochistan could only be tackled when “we give our nation a common Pakistani language, which would be a regionalised version of our national language, Urdu”.

He said that creation of new languages has been successfully attempted in different parts of the world. In this regard he gave the example of the rebirth of Israeli language, Hebrew.

He said that this is an abstract concept and it may not even be understood initially. However, if the media, intelligentsia and civil society support it, it could be easily implemented, with the active support of the federal and provincial governments.

Altaf Shakoor said: “Let’s give the Pakistani nation the gift of a new idea of making a Pakistani language, which will greatly help resolve the complicated and politically sensitive issue of the national language.”

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022