KARACHI: Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) President Abdullah Zaki has strongly condemned the brutal assault by Punjab Police on Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI) President Shaban Khalid, who was attacked by police at a checkpoint in the federal capital.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the KCCI president said that the entire business community of Karachi, particularly the prominent business figures and presidents of all regional chambers, are law abiding citizens of the country and have nothing to do with ongoing sit-ins in Islamabad.
“It is highly unfair to brutally pull a respectable businessman like Shaban Khalid out of his car, misbehave and manhandle him despite knowing his position of being the President of Islamabad Chamber,” he said, adding that the entire business community of Karachi city strongly condemns this brutal act by Punjab Police and expresses solidarity with the ICCI president against the highhandedness of law enforcers in Islamabad.
Abdullah Zaki was of the view that this unfortunate incident was a blow to the respect and dignity of all members of the business community, which has sent a wrong signal to the entire business community of Pakistan and abroad as it clearly gives an impression that businessmen and business leaders are at risk and their lives are seriously at threat due to “Police Gardi”.
The KCCI President urged Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Federal Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar to take notice of the incident by taking strict action against the police officers concerned and ensure that such incidents do not occur in the future. “I firmly believe that it is the responsibility of the government to ensure respect and dignity of leaders of the business community,” he maintained.
