Balochistan’s Business Community Unanimously Announces Support for SM Tanveer in FPCCI Elections
QUETTA (Daily Qudrat): Quetta Chamber of Commerce and Industry Balochistan Patron-in-Chief Haji Ghulam Farooq Khalji, former President of the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) Engineer Daro Khan Achakzai and Chamber of Small Traders and Small Industries Patron-in-Chief Wali Khan Norzai, announcing support for United Business Group presidential candidate SM Tanveer in the FPCCI elections, have said that slogans of provincialism and linguism in FPCCI elections will have terrible consequences. Balochistan’s business community, unanimously announcing support for SM Tanveer, expresses concern over various chambers of Balochistan being declared bogus. Our demand is that the act relating to the Federation’s elections be amended to make the tenure of Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa equal to that of Punjab and Sindh.
Speaking at a press conference in Quetta, they said that while announcing our support for SM Tanveer for the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry elections, we make clear that SM Tanveer’s participation in the Federation elections was our own demand, but now not only are various chambers of Balochistan being declared bogus, slogans of provincialism and linguism are also being raised, whose consequences will be extremely terrible.
They said that SM Tanveer’s father had formally started business from Karachi and had also been an office-bearer of the Karachi Chamber. They said that we are proud of Balochistan’s representation in the Federation by Saifullah Paracha and Dattu Sahib, and we have also been proud of the representation of the province by the Lasbela Chamber and others, even though we have had differences. We say that instead of raising slogans of provincialism and linguism, it would be better to contest the Federation’s election on the basis of the country’s and the business community’s issues. Support for SM Tanveer is the unanimous decision of Balochistan’s business community, and we hope that SM Tanveer will succeed and resolve the problems of Balochistan’s business community.
They said that at present the business community in Balochistan is facing difficulties, borders are closed and the deteriorating law and order situation has completed the remaining deficiency; in such a situation, declaring the province’s chambers bogus without justification is regrettable.
They said that in the Federation’s election, Punjab and Sindh have a two-year tenure while Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have a one-year tenure each. Our demand is that the act in this regard be amended to give Balochistan and KP tenures equal to Punjab and Sindh.
They said that we hope the courts and institutions will review the decision declaring the chambers bogus and give us justice. They said that our demand is that Pakistan and neighbouring countries keep the matters of politics, trade, economy and security separate from one another. Balochistan is a trading province, and opening closed borders with neighbouring countries is also our demand. They said that Zubair Motiwala is an innocent person whom those unable to face the election dragged into the election; we will fight Balochistan’s case through the Federation.
They said that peace is necessary for business, for which the government and institutions are making efforts.
