President of the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) Shamim Ahmed Firpo has urged the government to immediately release all these containers to help business community avoid fiscal losses.
While expressing deep concern over seizure of huge number of containers loaded with import and export consignments in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces, Firpo said that these cargo containers were being used to block all roads heading towards Islamabad to prevent a political party and its supporters from entering into the federal capital city where they want to stage sit-in but the authorities have ignored the fact that most of these containers were loaded with import and export consignments, particularly huge quantities of perishable goods which would obviously decay if these consignments failed to reach their destinations on time.
He pointed out that many of these containers were also loaded with medicines, textiles, chemicals and inflammable items etc, which posed severe threat to the lives of the masses if anything went wrong between law enforcers and the agitators.
"The concerned traders and industrialists will suffer colossal losses, if these containers are not immediately released. Government must realise that any loss to business people will also have a severe impact on the economic performance of the country," the KCCI president KCCI said, adding that the situation would also send a very negative signal abroad when the export consignments would not be delivered to the buyers as per commitment whereas the local markets might also experience severe shortage of numerous goods and commodities.
Reiterating KCCI's clear stance of being a non-political entity, Shamim Firpo said that KCCI was neither in favour of the sit-in nor against because business people call for a conducive business environment which needed to be ensured by the government.
He said that in view of tense situation, transporters were unwilling to carry goods to the upcountry and it was worrying that around 25000 to 30000 loaded vehicles were parked by transporters with fears of becoming hostage upon entering Punjab or KPK.
He said that numerous Goods Transporters Associations had threatened to stage strike if their loaded containers were not released immediately.
"If transporters go on strike, it will bring Pakistan's exports to a grinding halt," Firpo alerted saying that almost 3,500 vehicles loaded with goods leave for the upcountry from Karachi ports and the same number arrives at these Ports on regular basis. In such a situation if goods transporters observe complete strike, it will be the business community which will have to face additional losses on account of demurrages.
He was of the view that instead of engaging business community's containers, the government should look for any other mean and utilise its own resources and machinery to do whatever they want. He asked why the business community was being punished for someone else's actions.
President KCCI advised the government to seriously review the entire situation and accordingly take steps to provide relief to the business and industrial community of not just Karachi city, but also of entire Pakistan.
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