The Lahore Chamber of Commerce & Industry has demanded of the government to take strict measures to control law and order situation in Karachi. President LCCI, Shahzad Ali Malik, Senior Vice President, Sheikh Mohammad Arshad and Vice President Sohail Azhar raised this demand during a meeting with the delegation of Pakistan Automobile Spare Parts Importers & Dealers Association (PASPIDA) headed by its Chairman Abid Javed, here on Friday.
The LCCI office-bearers said that the business community was extremely upset with the current situation. Target killings and dacoities are forcing businessmen to close down their businesses. They said that a new crime trend has very recently cropped up in Sindh wherein armed people hijacked loaded containers and smuggle looted goods to the neighbouring countries. Only last month as many as 60 containers were robbed.
They said that only a few days back a 40-feet container loaded with auto-parts of M/s. Badami Bagh Motors, which was on its way to Lahore, was looted in Karachi near Nooriabad. They said that at a time when the government was striving for attracting foreign investment and encouraging local businesses, the deteriorating law and order situation was reversing all its efforts..
They said that the business community plays an important role in running the affairs of the country and the government should take special steps to protect the businessmen from any such incident. They said that the poor law and order situation was not only badly affecting the business transactions between Karachi and Lahore but also forcing the businessmen of the upcountry to close down their businesses with Sindh. The LCCI office bearers demanded of the Prime Minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gillani, Sindh Governor Dr Ishrat-ul-Ibad, Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah, Home Minister, Home Secretary, IG Sindh to ensure arrest of the culprits and identify crime prone areas to avert any such incidents in future.