Chief Minister Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah has said that although Pakistan faces severe economic crises and terrorism threats, as recently terrorism incidents took place in all four provinces which was not acceptable at all while the economy was also in bad shape but being a resilient nation, the country would certainly be able to overcome all these challenges and Pakistan will rise again and rise much higher. “Instead of carrying out the blame game, we all have to exhibit totally unity and make joint efforts to deal with the ongoing economic crises and it is encouraging to see that the federal Government is striving hard to pull the economy out of crises”, he added while speaking at the inauguration ceremony of 18th My Karachi – Oasis of Harmony Exhibition here at Expo Center on Friday.
Sindh Minister for Local Governments Syed Nasir Hussain Shah, Sindh Minister for Industries Jam Ikramullah Khan Dharejo, Sindh Minister for Labor Saeed Ghani, Sindh Minister for Information Sharjeel Inam Memon, Additional IG Javed Alam Odho, Commissioner Karachi Iqbal Memon, Chairman Businessmen Group & CE TDAP Zubair Motiwala, Vice Chairmen BMG Anjum Nisar & Jawed Bilwani, President KCCI Mohammed Tariq Yousuf, Senior Vice President Touseef Ahmed, Vice President Haris Agar, Chairman Special Committee for My Karachi Exhibition Muhammad Idrees, Former Presidents, KCCI Managing Committee members and a large number of diplomats from friendly countries were also present on the occasion.
Commenting on My Karachi Exhibition, CM said that My Karachi Exhibition, whose 18th edition has been staged today, was initiated in 2004 by Late Siraj Kassam Teli who was always being missed by him. “Since I assumed charge as CM, I always attend this event as it is one of the most important events of the provincial capital, hence, I make sure that I should be here”, he added.
Commenting on law & order situation, Murad Ali Shah said, “Karachi is the heart, economic hub and largest revenue generator of the country where the law and order started worsening in the 80s and by 2013-14, Karachi was declared as the 6th most dangerous cities of the world but thanks to serious efforts made by federal and provincial governments along with Law Enforcing Agencies under National Action Plan, the law and order situation in Karachi was drastically improved which led to descending Karachi’s ranking from 6th to 125th position in terms of most dangerous cities of the world. “Due to improved law and order situation, Defense Expo, Aman Exercise, Pakistan International Maritime Exhibition & Conference (PIMEC), Pakistan Super League (PSL) and now My Karachi Exhibition have been successfully staged during the last two months.
“We have restored the glories of Karachi and we will try really hard to further improve the situation so that Karachi could become more peaceful. There are issues but we will never give up. We have defeated terrorism and we will also completely eradicate other crimes from the city as well”, CM vowed.
Commenting on ongoing census all over the country, CM said that the population of Sindh has been undercounted which needs to be rectified. “It is our responsibility to make the ongoing census successful which would only become successful when every single individual is counted.”
Additional IG Javed Alam Odho, in his remarks, appreciated KCCI for having the courage to hold My Karachi Exhibition despite the fact that a terrorists’ strike took place recently at Karachi Police Office which was swiftly thwarted by Sindh Police, Rangers and Commandos of Pakistan Army. “Exhibitions like My Karachi are very important to generate business activities and restore the confidence of business community”, he said, adding that Karachi is back to normalcy which can be gauged from the fact that 95 percent spectators attended PSL match the very next day which was followed by PIMEC and now My Karachi Exhibition was also taking place which has been provided foolproof security. All these activities not only help in generating economic activities but are also a source of entertainment for the people of Karachi.
Speaking on the occasion, Chairman BMG & CE TDAP Zubair Motiwala, said that My Karachi Exhibition, which was initiated by Late Siraj Kassam Teli, was being staged continuously in all types of circumstances to portray the soft and positive image of Karachi. “We hold this exhibition to showcase what we are manufacturing and how open we are for businesses. Karachi, which generates 54 percent of exports and 68 percent of country’s revenue, is undoubtedly the financial capital of Pakistan”, he added.
While highly appreciating the presence of large number of participants from the diplomatic community, he said that every thing was good in Karachi which was a resilient city and the minor incidents happening in Karachi were not unusual as such incidents were happening in developed cities like New York also. He requested the diplomatic community to convey the message to their respective countries that Karachi is a peaceful and vibrant city where economic, commercial and industrial activities were going on without any interruption.
Paying tribute to CM Sindh for once again attending My Karachi’s inauguration ceremony as Chief Guest, Zubair Motiwala said that our intention for staging this exhibition was to not only present the soft image of Karachi but also tell the world that the Government of Sindh and Government of Pakistan were seriously working towards resolving the issues being faced by Karachiites. “The launch of Red Bus and Pink Bus Service by Sindh government is an applaudable move which has helped in resolving the transportation issue to a great extent.”
Referring to Chief Minister’s demand pertaining to release of funds for completion of K-IV project, he said that this was a very crucial project for Karachi as the city desperately requires water. He also welcomed Sindh government’s resolve to effectively deal with law-and-order situation of Karachi. “All members of Sindh Cabinet have been very cooperative who promptly respond to KCCI’s requests”, he said while particularly acknowledging the prompt response being received from Saeed Ghani, Jam Ikramullah Khan Dharejo, Syed Nasir Hussain Shah, Sharjeel Memon and other members of Sindh’s cabinet
Despite several challenges particularly exorbitantly high energy tariffs, Zubair Motiwala said, although there were problems but the situation would improve with the passage of time as this was not the first time when Pakistan faces dire shortage of foreign reserves. “During Benazir Bhutto’s era, total foreign reserves stood at US$493 million only and when Gen. Musharraf came in, the country foreign reserves were hardly US$452 million which later improved to US$17 billion. We are a resilient nation so we will pick up pace again. Karachi and Pakistan will get back on the track to progress and prosperity”, he added.
Earlier, President KCCI Mohammed Tariq Yousuf, while welcoming the Chief Minister, his cabinet members and all the dignitaries, said that the objective of My Karachi Exhibition was to connect locals with foreign investors, to rebuild the soft image of Karachi and develop sustainable relationships for generating economic activities. “The Karachi Chamber, despite limited capacity, has been playing an instrumental role in successfully organizing this mega exhibition, which attracts hundreds and thousands of participants.”
cutting ribbon to inaugurate 18th My Karachi Exhibition here at Karachi Expo Center on Friday.
My Karachi Crest Caption:
Chairman Businessmen Group Zubair Motiwala, President Karachi Chamber of Commerce & Industry Mohammed Tariq Yousuf, Vice President Haris Agar, Chairman Special Committee for My Karachi Exhibition Muhammad Idrees presenting crest to Chief Minister Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah at the inauguration ceremony of 18th My Karachi Exhibition here at Karachi Expo Center on Friday.