Industrialists plan their own security arrangements
Say police, Rangers personnel left businesses, citizens at the mercy of anti-social elements during recent disturbances
KARACHI: Industrial associations of Karachi plan their own security arrangements after the loss of property and human lives in industrial areas in the aftermath of Benazir Bhuttos assassination on Dec 27, industrial associations of the city and businessmen said at a press conference at Karachi Press Club on Friday.
Personnel of law-enforcing agencies were nowhere seen when they were most needed during the recent looting and arson, so we plan to have our own security arrangements on public-private basis. This can be possible if the government allows industrial associations and other trade bodies to use some of the share of the taxes that we pay to the government and the rest of the amount would be generated by the associations, said Haseeb Khan, a businessmen.
S M Muneer, Patron-in-Chief of the Korangi Association of Trade and Industry (KATI), said: We offered sincerest and heartfelt condolence to the family of Ms Bhutto and we will visit Garhi Khuda Bakhsh with our delegation to offer Fateha on behalf the business community. Benazirs death is a great loss for the entire nation. The entire nation is still in a state of shock. Benazir was a great leader of international stature, he said.
Muneer roundly criticised the LEAs for their failure to control looting and arson attacks in Karachi and in other places of Sindh. Where were the Rangers when people needed them desperately, asked Muneer. The deployment of Rangers was made very late. We demand of the government to induct more law enforcers to avoid such incidents in future. It is time to think for future and to take steps on a war footing.
Achieving the export target of $20 billion would be very difficult because of the destructions in the country, said Muneer. The Korangi Industrial Area was turned into a war zone where banks, restaurants, petrol pumps and industrial units were torched, he said, lamenting: The Korangi Industrial Area looks like it has been bombarded.
Many workers lost their jobs as factories they were working at were destroyed he said, informing that 7,000 workers were laid off at one industrial unit alone that has closed after it was destroyed by miscreants.
If governmental indifference continued, repetition of such events could not be ruled out. When we contacted the government about the law-enforcing agencies role, they said: We have insufficient number of the police and Rangers to control entire Sindh, he added.
The government should include businessmen in meetings concerning law and order along with the police, as we are the party who has credible information and views to share with the government. This can be helpful at times of crisis, he demanded.
Shaikh Fazle Jalil, Korangi Association of Trade and Industry Chairman, said: There is an accumulated loss of Rs20 billion only in Korangi Industrial Area. Sixteen industrial units, 45 trailers loaded with cargo, 55 vehicles, 4 petrol pumps, 2 car showrooms, and 1 restaurant were torched in Korangi Industrial Area in the riots. The death toll in the industrial area is now 9 and 16,000 workers have lost their jobs, he explained while presenting the losses at Korangi Industrial Area.
Industry is the backbone of any country. Foreign businessmen are very fearful of the law and order situation in Pakistan; many of them say your country lacks working environment, said Masood Naqi, a former chairman of Korangi Association of Trade and Industry.
This has been the first time in the history of country that industrial areas were targeted, we cannot do business in this environment, how can we invest and do business in this environment, he said.
Since, lumpen elements from kachi abadis (slum areas) close to industrial areas were involved in the recent riots, we demand that these slums be removed immediately. For whole two days miscreants looted and vandalised property in Korangi Industrial Area raising questions that there were certain forces using these slums for their own vested interests, he added.
Dawood Usman Jakhura, Vice-Chairman of the Landhi Association of Trade and Industry, said: We cannot link the post-Dec 27 riots to the assassination of Benazir Bhutto. The rioters were anti-social elements who found a good opportunity to plunder property in the absence of law enforcers. Engines were found missing from most of the torched vehicles in our industrial area.
Chairman of the North Karachi Association of Trade and Industry Noor Ahmed Khan said: We have suffered more than Rs53 million losses. Six factories were damaged. We have a significant number of small industries employing mostly semi- skilled women workers. Both the factory owners and the workers are now worried about their survival.
Muhammad Idrees Gigi, Chairman of the sub-committee on Building Project of the Federal B Area Association of Trade and Industry, said: We need to establish our security force to tackle such riots in our industrial areas.
Businessman Mian Zahid Hussain, former Korangi Association of Trade and Industry chairman said: We need crisis management in the country to avoid such incidents. The miscreants involved in the post-Dec 27 riots must be punished in accordance with law.
Industrialists plan their own security arrangements
