Economy negatively impacted by sit-ins: PTI leadership not giving time to Karachi, traders complain to Imran

KARACHI: Expressing their concerns to the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan, the traders' community said the economy is negatively impacted by sit-ins, adding a specific place should be designated to stage sit-ins. The community also complained that the PTI leadership is not giving proper time to the traders’ community in Karachi and MNA Arif Alvi was nowhere to be seen in his constituency.

Trade leader Arshad Ahmed Siddiqui said that the PTI Karachi was given a lot of importance in the last elections. However, he lamented that the only member of the National Assembly from the PTI, Arif Alvi, was neither seen in his constituency nor in any business community meeting.

He further added that Imran Khan had taught the people how to openly and bluntly present their viewpoints on corruption. He said no one accepts Shahid Khaqan Abbasi as the prime minister and he does not even have his own voice. If the PM and ministers get involved in corruption, the countries are destroyed, he added. The PTI chief said in order to become Asif Ali Zardari’s student, I have to be reincarnated 100 times.

Earlier while speaking at a business community gathering here on Wednesday, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chairman, Imran Khan, has said his economic plan for the country is a derivative of the policies of Trukish president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and former Malaysian prime minister, Mahathir Mohammad. Khan cited the examples of Erdogan’s 2023 Vision and Mahathir ’s Vision 2020 and said both of the center-right politicians brought prosperity to their countries.

“Erdogan took onboard the businessmen… and Mahathir said that corruption is bringing downfall to the country,” the PTI chief said, adding that he met both of them and asked them about their governance which put their respective countries on the path to success.

The gathering was held at the office of the Korangi Association of the Trade and Industry as Khan arrived in the city on a two-day visit – his second in one-and-a-half month. The PTI chairman was flanked by the leaders of his party, including MNA Dr Arif Alvi, Faisal Vawda, Firdous Shamim Naqvi and others.

He said the country could not prosper until the government brings on board the business community. “The biggest challenge is of unemployment. You will find jobless people across the country,” he said, suggesting it could be resolved by helping industries run. “We can come up with a plan after consultations with the business community on how to raise the investments,” he said, adding Pakistan was way ahead of many regional countries during the glorious '60s .

He claimedhis party is fighting with a mafia that is hindering country's success. He said according to National Accountability Bureau the overall corruption in the country is amounting to over Rs4 trillion – close to the federal government’s total outlay for fiscal 2017-18. He added according to State Bank of Pakistan report annually $10 billion were laundered out of the country.

Talking about the city, he said Karachi is the center of economic activity and the country’s progress depends on it. “For Karachi’s progress, electoral reforms are inevitable,” he commented, urging that mayor and deputy mayor of the city should be elected directly.

Later in the day, Khan addressed a press conference at PTI leader Naqvi’s residence. He said Federally Administered Tribal Areas should be merged with the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. According to him, due to a vaccum resulting in the aftermath of the operation against militancy, the tribal areas needed immediate reforms.

He cited Article 12 of the National Action Plan which emphasised settling of the Fata issue and said there is a dire need to fill the vacuum there to stop the militancy from rising again. He criticized the Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz governemnt for prolonging the issue under pressure from its ally Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam’s Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman.

Referring to the Model Town incident of Lahore and the recent Khatam-e-Nabuwwat controversy, he said the cases are still pending as their orchestrators were not taken to the task. Everyone is waiting for Sentaor Raja Zafar ul Haq report to be made public, he said. Khan reiterated his demand for immediate holding of general election and said the country is confronting crisis everyday.

Later in the evening, he addressed a convention for PTI’s District Korangi workers in Shah Faisal Colony. He stressed the city belongs to PTI and if voted to power they will install real local bodies system in place.