KARACHI: Chairman Businessmen Group (BMG) and former President of the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI), Siraj Kassam Teli, while strongly criticizing the passage of Gas Infrastructure Development Cess (GIDC) Bill 2015 by the Senate, urged the business and industrial community of Karachi, particularly the textile sector, to lead the protest and come out on streets against this anti-business move of the government.
Siraj Teli was speaking at a dinner reception hosted at PAF Convention Center by the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) and the Businessmen Group (BMG) to mark 18 years of Public Service of Businessmen Group from KCCI’s platform.
Vice Chairmen BMG, Zubair Motiwala, Haroon Farooki, Anjum Nisar, President KCCI Iftikhar Ahmed Vohra, Senior Vice President KCCI, Muhammad Ibrahim Kasumbi, Vice President KCCI Agha Shahab Ahmed Khan, Former Presidents KCCI AQ Khalil, M. Haroon Bari, Khalid Firoz, Majyd Aziz, Muhammad Saeed Shafiq, Mian Abrar Ahmed, Abdullah Zaki and KCCI managing committee were also present on the occasion.
In his address Siraj Teli cautioned the entire business and industrial community that tough time was just ahead so the entire business community must be ready to face the consequences of the anti-business and negative policies of the government towards the business community of Karachi only whereas the rest of the country remains exempted from such policies.
Criticizing the approach of the present government, Siraj Teli said that it is neither a business friendly nor a Karachi-friendly government as Karachi was constantly being victimized through discretionary powers to various departments. “Despite contributing more than 65 to 70 percent revenue to the national exchequer, Karachi city is constantly being mistreated. If Karachi stops contributing, the government will not be able to meet its expenditure. Some people say Karachi city is mini Pakistan and business and industrial hub but I always say and believe that Karachi is Pakistan and without Karachi there is no Pakistan”, he added.
Commenting on water shortages being suffered by Karachi, Siraj Teli said that a false impression about water shortages were being issued as there was no shortage of water. Karachi receives around 700 to 800 million gallons per day but they falsely claim to have been receiving 500 MGD only. He was of the view that an artificial water shortage was deliberately being created with a view to financially benefit from the situation by supplying water through tankers at exorbitant rates instead of supplying the same via pipelines in which Politicians, Water Board and the Bureaucracy were involved. He urged the business community to speak the truth and jointly raise voice for resolving numerous problems being suffered by the citizens of Karachi.
