It is too early to say who will emerge as the single largest party in the polls, say traders and industrials. Some of them said that none of the leading parties will win a simple majority of the seats. They said it looked that no political party would be able to get absolute majority. However they expressed dissatisfaction over election arrangements made by the Election Commission of Pakistan in the city.
Some of the members of business community expressed that they were unable to cast their votes owing to non-presence of election staff at polling station in early hours of the day and in the evening there was so huge turnout that they could not stand in long queue.
However they said that new upcoming government must adopt measures to keep moving wheel of economic and streamline monitory policy, reduce markup rates, control inflation, reduce power and gas tariffs, provide uninterrupted power and gas and overcoming law and order.
Former Chairman, North Karachi Association of Trade and Industry (NKATI), Captain Moiz Khan said he had cast his vote after remain standing in long queue for hours. He said the country was passing through worst economic and law and order crisis and articulated that new upcoming government had to take bold steps to overcome those issues.
He said it was the matter of concern that Pakistan had bumper crop of wheat but still Atta was offered for general pubic at Rs 40 per kg. Former Vice Chairman, Korangi Association of Trade and Industry (Kati), Shahid Jaweed Qureshi said "it is our desire that whoever come into power must give top priority to overcome economic crisis."
He said the government had to minimise borrowing from State Bank of Pakistan, reduce interest rates. "If new government continues to borrow from SBP, inflation will not be contained and it will move up, depoliticise government departments, overcome power and gas shortage and load shedding."
He said efforts should be made to boost Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) sector. Giving example of Japan and China, he said those countries made tremendous progress due to development of SME sector and later some of them became big companies. He said upcoming government must give top priority to overcome law and order condition in the country in general and in Karachi in particular.