LAHORE: Business community leadership has expressed solidarity with Pakistan Army while strongly condemning the incident of 9th May and attacks on army personnel and sacred state installations.
Prominent businessmen of Pakistan, including Gohar Ejaz, Mian Aamir, Mian Idris, Mian Ahsan, Almas Haider, Khurram Mukhtar and others from Lahore, Karachi, Multan, Faisalabad and other industrial hubs held a meeting in Lahore on Tuesday evening to discuss the current scenario in the wake of tragic incidents of 9th May.
They emphasized the need of national consensus amongst all the stakeholders to address the ongoing political instability at priority so as to restore public confidence, reinvigorate economic activity and strengthen democratic process.
Talking to the media, Gohar Ejaz said the business community has resolved to support all such efforts to reach this much needed consensus. He said the incidents of 9th May are highly condemnable and detriment to the national cohesion.
According to him, the business community would call on the political leadership including Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, former President Asif Zardari and PTI Chairman Imran to mitigate their differences in the larger national interest. He said the community leaders have resolved that Pakistan Army with the full support of people of Pakistan will defeat all nefarious designs of the enemies of Pakistan.
While taking cognizance of the current political crises prevalent in the country, he said, the participants discussed the current volatile situation arising out of political chaos and instability which has brought the economy at the verge of total collapse and likely to lead to a large scale unemployment and create difficulties for common man, besides hampering the exports of Pakistan.
Speaking on the occasion, Mian Aamir Mahmood apprehended that the ongoing situation would also be a recipe for anarchy and God forbid, it will bring the country a permanent loss. It was also discussed that the perception of Pakistan in the international market has tarnished to a great level and negative news about the country were bringing the exports and other perceptions about Pakistan to a drastically low level beyond repair for a long time.
He stressed that the overall situation must be promptly arrested to hold further downfall before it’s too late. At the same time, leaders and representatives of the business community showed complete solidarity towards the beloved nation and were hopeful that if things are brought to order and start mending their ways and all the stakeholders sit down, all the problems can be resolved.
Mian Idris offered to sit down with all the political parties and all other stakeholders and try to sort out the situation to the satisfaction of all because they felt that this kind of a situation was very dangerous and any further deterioration in this regard would be very bad for Pakistan and of course for the all the businesses of Pakistan.
Expressing his views, Mian Ahsan said the business community was too perturbed over the ongoing situation, hence, all the stakeholders, particularly the political parties must exhibit flexibility in the larger interest of the country as our survival depends on the survival of our beloved motherland, hence, the entire business community of Pakistan was eager to sit together with all political parties and other stakeholders so that the issues could be amicably resolved.
Almas Haider said the business community wants to strengthen all the institutions in every possible manner so that they can resolve this problem. The business community highly respects all the institutions including political parties, judiciary and the armed forces of the country and would like to see all of them strengthening and working collectively to save the country from plunging into further disaster.
Khurram Mukhtar said the business community has full confidence on Pakistan and they believe that Pakistan is there to survive till the doomsday but everyone has to work together with each other.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2023