MA RASHID.
FAISALABAD: The National Group’s 25 years of success is continuing, which will be carried forward by the newly elected President Dr. Khurram Tariq. This was said by President Atif Munir Sheikh today while addressing the annual general meeting of Faisalabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry, in which the newly elected officials and 15 newly elected members of the executive were also officially announced. He said that the performance of the retiring president is judged by the results of the election and I am proud that a large number of the business community showed full confidence in the leadership of the National Group in these elections. He said that there are 122 people from different trades in the chamber while the population of this city is 80 lakhs and the number of members of the chamber is 8,000. It was a difficult phase to balance but I represented the chamber effectively in every forum and everywhere tried to ensure presence. The associations of the city have also extended their full cooperation in carrying forward the affairs of the Chamber, for which they are very grateful. He said that when he assumed the presidency on October 1, 2021, it was Friday and today, September 30, 2022, when he is retiring, Friday is still a blessed day. He said that various challenges were faced throughout the year, which his wingers and executive gave all possible support to overcome. He said that soon after assuming office of the President, when many things started to mature, the government changed. After that, for one and a half months, the business community was sandwiched between the federation and the provinces. The following months were devoted to floods and elections. Despite this, he fought hard to solve the problems. He said that Faisalabad Chamber was not represented in many institutions. His efforts have led to ex-officio representation of the President in many departments. He also mentioned his appointment in the Export Development Fund and said that it is the money of the exporters but we were not getting any share in it, however after the representation the project of cargo terminal was presented which will cost 5 crore rupees. And work on it is expected to start soon. He said that Faisalabad is the only chamber in the country on the request of which the Federal Tax Ombudsman established an advisory committee and only on our request the practice of stopping goods along the way with the GD ended. He said that during his tenure, exporters as well as local industry also benefited from electricity and gas at subsidized rates, but now it has been abolished, for which the newly elected president will have to work hard. He said that the leadership gave him full opportunity to work due to which he focused on uniting the business community. He gave a presentation about his performance and said that NADRA desk will be functional in Faisalabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry very soon. He also mentioned the visits of important personalities and said that a delegation of 26 commercial consuls posted in other countries visited the Faisalabad Chamber to make this meeting fruitful. A meeting was held to apprise them of the ground realization Similarly, the delegation of Saudi Arabia visited Faisalabad. Apart from setting up an international standard hospital and hotel, they also want to bring Albek’s food chain here. However, it is the government’s job to pave the way for Saudi investment now. He also mentioned the agreement with the Thailand Chamber and said that this chamber is running an excellent university in which the cost of education for 3 years is about 28 lakhs. However, on the recommendation of Faisalabad Chamber, in this university, 5 students will get 50% discount and 3 students will get 70% discount and 100% discount in Duco fees. He also mentioned the introduction of Loyalty Card and said that Pakistan Economic Conference was the most important and extraordinary event of this year which aims to open new avenues of business apart from textiles. He said that in addition to 52 chambers, 16 women and 14 small chambers, 7 ministers and 11 diplomats also participated. He said that the effects of this conference are coming slowly and it is expected that as a result Faisalabad will play a key role in other sectors besides textiles. Newly elected President Dr. Khurram Tariq said that despite the difficult circumstances, Atif Munir Sheikh has shown excellent performance. They will try their best to build on the impact they have left with their performance. He said that this is the 25th year of the National Group. It will be celebrated in a grand manner. He also mentioned his three-point strategy for this year and said that the first part deals with the problems of the business community. The second part is related to civic issues for which the Chamber and other industrial and commercial organizations of the city have to fulfill their duties. The third part is from social responsibilities. He said that new goals will be determined for the chamber so that this institution can be moved forward on new lines. Similarly, the efficiency of the associations will also increase. He said that there was a time when the problems were solved by closing the markets, but according to the requirements of the present time, we have to devise a new strategy. Regarding Safe City, he said that various trade organizations will install cameras for surveillance in their respective areas, which will be connected to the central control room of the police through a chamber. He said that unless we take the responsibilities of the city ourselves, it cannot be fixed and now it is time that we accept this responsibility with an open heart. He said that associations have only one trade but every sector is represented in the chamber, so there is a need to balance the responsibilities of the chamber. Regarding the global situation, he said that the IMF has stated that Britain will also need help, although Britain itself has been helping other countries. He said that in the current economic situation, 30 billion dollars will be needed this year, 35 billion dollars next year and 40 billion dollars the next year. Regarding domestic problems, he said that our challenges have increased due to the floods. He said that the ration that we provide immediately after the flood is only 5% while we will need continuous efforts to complete 95% of the rehabilitation work. Regarding local business, Dr. Khurram Tariq said that the production of export industries has decreased by 30 to 40 percent. While the return of the 9 cents concessional gas facility will make it more difficult to do business. He said that all the associations have to work together to face these challenges. He said that he wants Faisalabad to have an expo centre, Limousine campus, dancing fountains, a new chamber complex, at least four parking plazas in the inner city and a tram for every market. He said that to achieve these goals, a vision is needed which spans at least 5 to 10 years. He said that the coastline of Dubai is only 72 km while our coast is spread over 1200 km but we could not develop the tourism sector. He announced graduation in tax style for the textile sector. He said that Faisalabad will be the first chamber of Pakistan which will work for the sustainable development goals of the United Nations. He emphasized on making a concerted effort to keep the city clean and said that a change in people’s attitudes is necessary in this regard. Regarding schools, he said that even now 25 to 30 percent of children study sitting on the ground. There are no fans in government schools, while clean drinking water is not available in many schools. He said that he will work to improve the condition of these schools. Earlier, Election Commission member Muzamil Sultan formally and finally announced the newly elected officials, according to which Dr. Khurram Tariq was elected as President, Dr. Sajad Arshid Senior Vice President and Muhammad Aslam Bhali as Vice President. He said that a certain number of women Ms. Hania Javed has already won the seat unopposed. Election Commission member Rana Muhammad Ikramullah Khan announced the names of the executive members elected on the seven vacant seats of the associate class while Mian Tanveer Ahmed announced the names of the seven vacant seats of the corporate class. National Group Leader Mian Muhammad Idris and Mian Javed Iqbal also addressed the ceremony while distributing shields to the best performers. On the request of Mian Muhammad Idris, the House stood and applauded the retiring President Atif Muneer for his outstanding performance.
