Government’s recent proposed decision to end sale of SIMs at franchises of phone companies will create unemployment.
KARACHI: It is very disappointing that on the one hand, the government has failed miserably to provide jobs and business opportunities to the people and, on the other, it is bent upon destroying businesses which are trying to survive despite many challenges in the country. The government’s recent proposed decision to end the sale of SIMs at franchises of cellular phone companies will create unemployment and affect the families of millions of people involved directly and indirectly in the sale of SIMs in this manner. As a franchise owner, I have made all-out efforts to ensure that I sell SIMs to genuine buyers through a proper verification and registration process. I hired extra staff and installed computers when the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) started the SIM verification system to facilitate customers. Now, I feel very frustrated by the government’s decision. I am not certain about what to do in the coming months except cut staff members and my business volume by half.
There are 21 employees working in different capacities at the franchise for sales, distribution and marketing purposes and if the government imposes this anti-people move, I will be forced to plan lay-offs. I had set up the franchise after spending two million rupees as per the specification and standards of the cellular phone company. I invested a total of nearly three million rupees more in one year. Now, it seems that all of my investment is going down the drain and I will soon be a bank defaulter. The government should devise a proper mechanism to address the root cause of the problem instead of forcing small businesspeople to close their franchises and retail shops across the country.
There are various methods for registration and verification of SIMs and mobile phone connections but the government is not working on those. Instead, it is blaming cell phone operators for the poor law and order situation in the country. I strongly appeal to the government to honour its pledge of roti, kapra and makan rather than depriving the people of them. I request the government not to play with the livelihoods of investors and those they employ and devise a practical solution for the telecommunication industry to come out of this problem.
Asad Shakeel
Published in The Express Tribune, November 23rd, 2012.
