Business community backs govt efforts to combat terrorism

Published December 26, 2014
Lt Gen Raheel Sharif in a meeting with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif at the PM House in Islamabad. — APP/File
Lt Gen Raheel Sharif in a meeting with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif at the PM House in Islamabad. — APP/File

KARACHI: The business community has fully supported the efforts of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Army Chief Gen Raheel Shareef for combating terrorism in the country.

They said that setting up of military courts and the decision of the chief justice to give preference to terrorism-related cases has enlivened hopes among business leaders for a prosperous Pakistan in the coming years.

“I see economic activities thriving in 2015 and also in the years to come, if terrorist activities are stopped. This will encourage foreign and local investment,” Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) President Ifitikhar A. Vohra said.

“We support the efforts of the PM and the army chief which are aimed at controlling terrorist activities,” Mr Vohra said.

CEO Pakistan Business Council (PBC) Kamran Y. Mirza offered a different view, saying it is too early to say anything as debate among stakeholders is still going on how to deal with terrorism and to make changes to the system.

It is encouraging that all stakeholders, like the government, the army chief, the civil society, the political parties and the judiciary, are now on one table and wanted extraordinary measures to deal with the situation, he said.

Patron-in-Chief of United Business Group and Chairman Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) S.M. Muneer said that the prime minister and the army chief are bailing out the country from the worst crisis of its history.

He demanded immediate steps to normalise the situation in Karachi and Balochistan and to take clerics of all schools of thoughts on board to ensure religious harmony. The resolve of the PM, the army chief, the top judiciary and leaders of major political parties has made a positive impact on sentiments of the business community, he added.

He said he fully backs the decision to establish military courts and the decision of the chief justice to give preference to terrorism-related cases.

Muneer said that the US has termed capital punishment as an internal matter of Pakistan.

Published in Dawn, December 26th, 2014

Follow Dawn Business on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook for insights on business, finance and tech from Pakistan and across the world.

Opinion

Editorial

Smog hazard
Updated 05 Nov, 2024

Smog hazard

The catastrophe unfolding in Lahore is a product of authorities’ repeated failure to recognise environmental impact of rapid urbanisation.
Monetary policy
05 Nov, 2024

Monetary policy

IN an aggressive move, the State Bank on Monday reduced its key policy rate by a hefty 250bps to 15pc. This is the...
Cultural power
05 Nov, 2024

Cultural power

AS vital modes of communication, art and culture have the power to overcome social and international barriers....
Disregarding CCI
Updated 04 Nov, 2024

Disregarding CCI

The failure to regularly convene CCI meetings means that the process of democratic decision-making is falling apart.
Defeating TB
04 Nov, 2024

Defeating TB

CONSIDERING the fact that Pakistan has the fifth highest burden of tuberculosis in the world as per the World Health...
Ceasefire charade
Updated 04 Nov, 2024

Ceasefire charade

The US talks of peace, while simultaneously arming and funding their Israeli allies, are doomed to fail, and are little more than a charade.