During a news conference at the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KPCCI) on Tuesday, the chamber’s president Zahidullah Shinwari said the traders’ body will establish a protest camp at the chamber’s premises and in the second phase, take out a rally. This will be followed by a sit-in outside the Chief Minister’s House and the provincial assembly.
If the government fails to curb lawlessness, incidents of kidnapping for ransom and extortion, as a last resort the business community would be forced to close shop and begin protesting indefinitely, said Shinwari.
Feeling left out
Lashing out at the federal government, the KPCCI president said no special incentive or package for the terrorism-affected business community and the province has been announced in the federal budget.
“The provincial government has also not given a single penny to the business community despite receiving millions in damages under the head of ‘war against terrorism’ from the federal government,” he said.
“The fragile security situation is compelling us to shift our businesses and families out of the province which is resulting in an alarming flight of capital,” said Shinwari. Despite assurances by the provincial government, no practical step has been taken to pacify their complaints.
Trade body leaders Sharafat Ali Mubarak, Riaz Arshad, Ghaffar Bilour and Malik Iftikhar Awan, among other members of the business community, were present at the conference.
The KPCCI president said, “Police and security agencies are reluctant to take action against organised mafia and those behind terrorist activities in the provincial capital.”
The crime ratio in the province has increased during the past year, informed Shinwari, adding that more than 30 to 45 traders and industrialists’ families have shifted to Islamabad and Punjab, while others are also planning to follow suit.
The government has not taken susbstantial steps to address out grievances despite repeated complaints, he said.
“We do not want to shutdown our businesses and take to the streets but we have been pushed against the wall and have nowhere else to go,” bemoaned Shinwari.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 4th, 2014.
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