Karachi -Mr. Irfan Iqbal Sheikh, President FPCCI, has welcomed the visit of Mr. Faraz Abid Lakhani, Special Assistant to Chief Minister Sindh on Commerce, to the Federation House to seek proposals & recommendations of the apex body on the industrial & economic development of the province.
Mr. Irfan Iqbal Sheikh appreciated the fact that Mr. Faraz Abid Lakhani has visited the FPCCI Head Office shortly after taking the charge of his important portfolio and, as President FPCCI, has extended his full support for the development of the province; highlighting the infrastructural upkeep & development; law & order; burgeoning cost of doing business; abysmal investor confidence due to the bad state of ease of doing business indicators; bureaucratic red-tapism; lack of digitalization in property documentation; excessive regulations & inspections and poor state of labor laws as the top most issues of the business, industry and trade community of Sindh.
Mr. Suleman Chawla, SVP FPCCI, apprised that the industrial land has become very expensive in Karachi and, on practical grounds, it is one of the major obstacles in the establishment of new industries& expansion of the existing ones. No substantial industrial plot is available for less than tens of crores of rupees in Karachi; whereas, other countries are offering industrial plots for free to the investors.
Mian Nasser Hyatt Maggo, immediate past President FPCCI, reiterated that businessmen are constantly harassed by the land grabbers and a number of industrial properties owned by FPCCI members have been encroached & illegally-possessed by the outlaws; and, there is no way we can tread the path of rapid industrialization & import substitution under these circumstances.
Engr. M. A. Jabbar, VP FPCCI, stressed that successive provincial governments have failed the business community and the masses alike due to lackluster performance on commerce & labor policies. He added that the bureaucracy should do more than presentations and strategize for their actual implementation.
Mr. Faraz Abid Lakhani & his team explained, in their detailed answers to the FPCCI office bearers and members, that CM Sindh & the provincial government are crystal clear that the new commerce policy of Sindh 2023 – 27 will not be announced in a consultation-less fashion; and, FPCCI will be their focal point to incorporate the feedback, recommendations and proposals of all the sectors & segments. He added that Sindh Government is having technical assistance of USAID in this regard and sectorial action plans will also be incorporated in the policy to make is effective & inclusive.
