LAHORE: The Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan (REAP) condemned torture of its managing committee member and a leading rice exporter Chaudhry Zulfikar in Bucheki (Nankana Sahib) area, and hinted at closing down their operations if the culprits involved in this incident are not taken to task immediately.
REAP Chairman Ali Hussam Asghar flanked with the Group leader Shahzad Ali Malik, Chaudhry Zulfikar, Sami Ullah Naeem and several others while addressing a press conference at the REAP head office on Saturday said that the victim exporters have billions of rupees of export to their credit.
He is running a free school for 400 kids and also carries out other social work. He said it is not in the interest of the sector that people with vested interest harass and thrash such people contributing to the national economy to deprive them of their hard earned money.
Chudhary Zulfikar while narrating his incident said that some two days back he was leaving his factory in Bucheki for Lahore. A vehicle intercepted him and tore his clothes and thrashed him badly while they also continued firing in the air to create an environment that nobody should come to help him.
He said he has nothing to do with that group of people, which according to him, was being led by a person named Asghar Dogar. He alleged that the said person is very influential in the area and various other cases of lawlessness have also been registered against him.
To a question, he said that the accused shared the video of his thrashing further embarrassing him. He said the local police had registered an FIR and also arrested some people but claimed that those arrested persons were not the real culprits.
REAP Chairman Ali Hussam Asghar urged the Prime Minister of Pakistan Shahbaz Sharif, Chief Minister Hamza Shahbaz Sharif, Army Chief and heads of other law enforcement agencies to take immediate notice of this incident and deal with the culprits as per law.
He said if such incidents are not stopped, it may happen to people from other industrial sectors too. To a question, he said they would announce their next step after 48 hours of this media talk, if no action is taken against the accused.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2022