KARACHI: Chairman of National Business Group Pakistan and President Pakistan Businessmen and Intellectuals Forum Mian Zahid Hussain has said that arrangements should be made for the safety of all foreigners working in Pakistani factories and mob violence should be discouraged with full force of law.

He said the senseless lynching of a Sri Lankan factory manager in Sialkot is condemnable. The response of the government was timely and correct and the accused and those who provoked them should be punished so that no one dares to take the law into their hands again, he said.

Mian Zahid Hussain said our enemies are rejoicing over this incident and Pakistan had to face embarrassment due to the senselessness of a group of workers.

It is difficult to estimate the repercussions of such a tragic event as cold-blooded murder will have far-reaching consequences and many foreign companies may turn to other countries instead of Pakistan while foreign experts will also think twice before coming to Pakistan, he feared.

According to some industrialists, Sialkot’s role in the national economy was growing rapidly and it was beating the industry of rival countries like India and Bangladesh in the international market, he added.

He said that many known multinational companies had cancelled contracts with Indian companies and entered into agreements with Pakistani companies based in Sialkot.

The popularity of Sialkot companies has distressed rivals and they desired a problem that could affect Pakistan’s second most important city in terms of exports.

The enemies of Pakistan kept Karachi destabilized for decades damaging the national economy, he said adding now the law and order situation in Karachi has improved due to the efforts of Rangers and police providing relief to masses and investors.

As Karachi was returning to normalcy, the lynching in Sialkot resulted in embarrassment at international level, hitting efforts to boost exports, he said. He called for action to tackle serious issues surfacing in other important cities.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021