KARACHI: General Secretary Businessmen Group (BMG) and Former President Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry AQ Khalil and President KCCI Junaid Esmail Makda have said that all six halls of the Expo Center remained fully occupied during three days of 16th My Karachi Exhibition, which has become an icon for the Businessmen Group and Karachi Chamber.
Addressing a press conference to mark the closing of 16th My Karachi-Oasis of Harmony Exhibition on Sunday, they announced that next year’s 17th My Karachi-Oasis of Harmony Exhibition will also be held with same zeal and enthusiasm on April 17th, 18th and 19th, 2020 at Karachi Expo Center.
Senior Vice President KCCI Khurram Shahzad, Vice President Asif Sheikh Javaid, Chairman Special Committee for My Karachi Exhibition Muhammad Idrees, Former Presidents along KCCI Managing Committee members were also present on the occasion.
General Secretary BMG AQ Khalil criticized the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) for poor facilities provided at Karachi Expo Center during My Karachi Exhibition where all six halls are in a bad shape while the air conditioning facility was not working properly. “We have been paying millions of rupees to TDAP for staging this mega event but they are not providing services as expectations”, he added.
General Secretary BMG, while appreciating the overall arrangements of 16th My Karachi Exhibition, said that despite scorching heat wave, it is really encouraging to see that this exhibition was yet another resounding success as it has been attended by visitors in between 800,000 to 1 million.
AQ Khalil, while warmly welcoming the response received from people belonging to all walks of life who enthusiastically participate in My Karachi Exhibition, pointed out that every year My Karachi keeps on growing as compared to the previous events, thanks to the untiring efforts being made by all the BMGIANs, KCCI Office Bearers, Chairman of Special Committee for My Karachi Exhibition, Managing Committee members and others who put in the best of their efforts to make this event memorable for everyone.
He particularly appreciated the constant support by Embassies, Consulates, print and electronic media who always support this exhibition and play a major role in making this event successful. The cooperation by Karachi Police, Rangers, Government of Sindh, Local government and all other departments deserves to be appreciated as they promptly responded to Karachi Chamber’s requests from time to time.
Highlighting the overall journey of Businessmen Group, AQ Khalil said that BMG has been successfully governing the affairs of Karachi Chamber since 1998 as all BMGIANs have not lost a single seat in all the elections held during the last 21 years. “We have taken many initiatives to improve the functioning of Karachi Chamber in order to facilitate its members while My Karachi Exhibition is also part of the same strategy”.
Speaking on the occasion, President Junaid Makda pointed out that My Karachi was initiated in 2004 when the overall law & order situation in the city was very bad and bomb blasts were a routine in the city. “This exhibition has seen many ups and downs since 2004 in terms of law and order situation but we kept staging this event with the same spirit as we wanted to prove it to the rest of the world that the business and industrial community of Karachi remains resilient and will continue to operate in this city in all circumstances”, he added.
He said that “My Karachi provided a vibrant platform where local and foreign exhibitors displayed their products and services at more than 300 in all 6 halls of the Expo Center.”
