The Leadership of Businessmen Group and Karachi Chamber of Commerce & Industry (KCCI), while referring to the Caretaker Prime Minister’s meeting scheduled in Quetta on Sunday with representatives of the Power Sector, stated that the Karachi Chamber once again strongly protests the unbearable rise in electricity tariff as it was neither affordable for common man nor for any trader or small industrialist. Hence, it was purely unacceptable in any case.
In a joint statement, Chairman BMG Zubair Motiwala, Vice Chairmen BMG Tahir Khaliq, Haroon Farooki, Anjum Nisar & Jawed Bilwani, General Secretary BMG AQ Khalil, President KCCI Mohammed Tariq Yousuf, Senior Vice President Touseef Ahmed, Vice President Haris Agar, Chairman Special Committee for Small Traders Majeed Memon, while terming the current electricity Tariff as ‘unviable’, appealed that the Caretaker Prime Minister must announce the withdrawal of unbearable hike in electricity tariff on conclusion of Sunday’s meeting in Quetta.
They said that BMG and KCCI had earlier rejected this extraordinary hike in electricity tariff and would like to urge the government again to immediately withdraw the massive hike in electricity tariff in the larger interest of the entire nation and the economy.
They further said that to devise plan of action on how to deal with the electricity tariff issue, the Karachi Chamber had also summoned a meeting of all trade & industrial associations and other stakeholders on Monday but as the Caretaker Prime Minister has called a meeting on this issue tomorrow (Sunday), KCCI decided to postpone its Monday’s meeting which will now be held later after reviewing the outcome of PM’s meeting. “We will carry on with our strategies if no relief is provided to the perturbed masses and the business community in PM’s meeting.”
They informed all industrial associations and trade associations including Site Association of Trade & Industry, Korangi Association of Trade & Industry, North Karachi Association of Trade & Industry, Landhi Association of Trade & Industry, Site Superhighway Association of Trade & Industry, Bin Qasim Association of Trade & Industry, FB Area Association of Trade & Industry, All Pakistan Textile Mills Association, All Pakistan Textile Processing Mills Association, Council of All Pakistan Textile Association, Pakistan Yarn Merchants Association, Pakistan Chemicals & Dyes Merchants Association, Pakistan Textile Exporters Association, Pakistan Cloth Merchants Association, Pakistan Readymade Garments Manufacturers & Exporters Association, Pakistan Leather Garments Manufacturers & Exporters Association and many other associations of SMEs, small traders and Commercial Markets along with large number of KCCI members who have been seeking KCCI’s intervention that KCCI’s meeting scheduled on Monday to discuss electricity tariff would now take place at a later stage after reviewing the progress and outcome of PM’s meeting.