KARACHI: The Chairman of Businessmen Group (BMG) Siraj Kassam Teli and President Karachi Chamber Younus Bashir said in a statement that Prime Minister’s remarks have increased the business community’s confidence. While appreciating Prime Minister Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif’s standpoint over the actions by National Accountability Bureau (NAB) against business and industrial community, they said that it will go a long way in not only restoring local investors’ confidence but will clear the air for foreign investments as well.
The Chairman Businessmen Group and President KCCI said that they fully support Prime Minister’s remarks as no Law Enforcement Agency including NAB, FIA, FBR or any other institution should have the right to misuse their powers to harass Industrialists or Businessmen without a solid proof.
A statement issued by the Businessmen Group and office bearers of Karachi Chamber stated that such practices by NAB shattered the confidence of the entire business and industrial community, resulting in flight of capital and businesses from Pakistan which will have a severe negative impact on the economic performance of the country.
Referring to some media reports in which it has been indicated that Prime Minister probably gave these remarks against NAB in response to complaints by some of the leading businessmen namely Sohail Tabba, Hussain Dawood and Mian Muhammad Mansha, BMG leadership and KCCI office bearers questioned that if NAB can create problems for such high-profile businessmen then what NAB would be doing with comparatively smaller businesses who have invested in this country despite many odds for the past many decades?
Reiterating BMG’s clear policy of being a non-political organization, they said that BMG and KCCI fully appreciate Prime Minister’s directives to NAB to stop harassing the business and industrial community as these directives have got nothing to do with politics and were purely in the national interest. “Such actions by NAB, FIA, FBR or any other institution put the integrity of Business and Industrial Community at stake which will not be acceptable at any cost”, they added.
They pointed out that the business and industrial community contributes colossal amount of taxes to the national exchequer which were being used to run government organizations and Law Enforcement Agencies including NAB, FBR and FIA but these departments, instead of facilitating the business community, were mostly busy in harassing and penalizing them which has been rightly pinpointed by Prime Minister. “We the business and industrial community of Karachi stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the government over this particular issue”, they added.
BMG and KCCI demanded from Prime Minister to issue strict directives to all institutions including NAB and FIA to refrain from taking action against any businessman or industrialist without a solid proof with a view to save the integrity of business community. “Even if they have any proof against any businessman or industrialist, the same must be privately shared and discussed through a proper channel or system which should be created for the purpose such as a Committee of judges and genuine representatives of the business & industrial community and if the evidences are found valid, KCCI and BMG will absolutely have no objection over the action against the concerned businessman. Karachi Chamber and the Businessmen Group would also like to appeal to all the political parties that these institutions be made independent without any political interference and such systems should be created through legislation whereby the integrity of innocent is safe guarded whether they belong to any segment of the society.
