KARACHI: Rashid Ahmed Siddiqui, president of the Korangi Association of Trade and Industry (Kati), on Saturday warned that the cost of production for industries had increased manifolds and if that trend continued there would be zero exports in the coming years. He was addressing a gathering organised at the Kati office for senior commerce journalist Abdul Qudoos Faiq, commonly known as Shah Jee. Siddiqui said Shah Jee has played his role in resolving issues of the industry through highlighting their issues in the newspaper. “We will also resolve our issues with the help of you (journalists),” he said. The Kati president said Karachi contributed 54 percent in the total revenue of the country and provided jobs to millions of people coming from across the country, but in return the city faced only injustices and miseries. “There has been no improvement in the infrastructure since many decades. Our electricity, water and gas have been snatched,” he said. “There is no water for the industry, while gas is being provided like ration.” The law and order situation has improved, but infrastructure is dilapidated with no streetlight in the industrial area. Instead of providing subsidy like other competitor countries, basic facilities were snatched from Karachi’s industrialists, he said. “The cost of production has increased. If it continued, there will be zero export in the coming days that will give rise to unemployment,” he said. Siddiqui suggested the government to organise a think-tank on economic issues with the participation of the businessmen and industrialists. Shah Jee said he joined a newspaper in 1973 as a translator and retired as commerce reporter. He said Ayub Khan’s days were golden era for the industry in Karachi, while Mehboob ul Haq was the person behind destruction of the industry, as he had highlighted 24 rich families by manipulating around 200 industries, which resulted in Bhutto’s nationalisation. There were issues with the infrastructure of Karachi, while Korangi Industrial Area is the least developed in the city. Senator Abdul Haseeb Khan, who was also the former president of Kati, said he remained in the Senate for six years, where senators talked about every subject except industry, health and issues of over 200 million citizens. He said Pakistan is one of the richest countries in the world in terms of wealth its citizens owned, but issues remained unresolved as successive governments had injected corruption in the veins of our economy,” he said. “Their policies are not benefiting the common people.” Khan said Gas Infrastructure Development Cess (GIDC) is a drone attack on the industry. “Our survival is linked with the survival of the poor people,” he said. Johar Ali Qandhari, chairman press and media committee of Kati, said it was the first time that the association has honoured an individual journalist. Previously, journalist unions were honoured. He urged the government to announce Sitara-e-Imtiaz Award for the dedicated journalist Abdul Qudoos Faiq (Shah Jee).
