The Expo-2005 has ended with claims by officials of the Export Promotion Bureau and the commerce ministry that it had been a success. Commerce Minister Humayun Akhtar Khan also expressed satisfaction with the results achieved in holding the exposition.
However, many of the private sectors, who took stalls in the exposition and contributed reportedly some Rs 90 million, were not very happy with the facilities they were provided and specially with the security arrangements on the inaugural day when many of them could not find entry into the Expo Centre and stalls they were managing.
This mix-up was largely due to the amateurish handling of the entry and security arrangements by the EPB officials, who were not fully cognisant of the security problems that would surface when President General Pervez Musharraf was to visit and inaugurate the exposition.
Many of the private sector stall-holders told that the EPB should improve on its arrangements for next year's show.
Secondly, they felt that the entry of general public for looking at various products should be for two or more days because it was important that people in Pakistan should come to know better what their industries are offering for home use and export.
The private sector exhibitors felt that the time given for the Pakistani visitors to see the stalls was too short and resulted in overcrowding and 'mishandling' as also mismanagement of such a big crowd of visitors.
Many of the stall-holders from the private sector felt that the EPB officials were not aware at all of the public interest in the exposition and were more interested in obtaining attention of the foreign participants as also the good graces of the officials and ministers, who attended it, while paying little attention to the general public.