Sindh Governor Imran Ismail on Sunday held talks with representatives of the Karachi Tajir Action Committee (KTAC), a body of the city’s traders, to persuade them to call off their strike which they had announced from today (Monday) onwards against the increase in taxation on the traders in the new federal budget.
The KTAC was represented in the talks by Jameel Piracha, Sheikh Alam, Hakeem Shah, Irshad Qadri, Waqas Azeem, Mohammad Arshad, and Mohammad Ahmed Qadri. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf MPAs Ramzan Ghanchi and Khurrum Sher Zaman were also present on the occasion.
As the governor assured the KTAC delegation that their reservations would be addressed, the traders announced the withdrawal of their strike call. Ismail said to the traders that Karachi was rightly considered as the economic hub of economic activities in the country as trading operations continued in the city for 24 hours. He said if businesses thrived in Karachi, it would guarantee economic activities in other parts of the country.
The governor said that all the required measures would be taken to help the traders of the city continue with their businessed without any fear. Later, the governor and the KTAC representatives addressed a news conference in which Ismail said he had talked to Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) Chairman Shabbar Zaidi about 11 demands of the traders.
He said the FBR chairman had assured him that all the just demands of the traders, including those related to taxation, would be met through mediation. For the purpose, a six-member committee had been constituted comprising three representatives each of the traders and the government, he added.
The governor expressed regret if any trader had felt insulted by any of his earlier statements. He said everyone had to come under the tax network to steer the country out of the present economic crisis and in this regard, the traders had given some suggestions to increase the national tax base.
Piracha told media persons that during the negotiations with the governor, he had the opportunity to talk in detail to the FBR chairman on telephone to convey him all the grievances and demands of the traders.
The KTAC representative said the governor had listened to their demands and assured them that their issues would be resolved after which they decided to call off the strike. Answering a question, Ismail said Prime Minister Imran Khan would visit Karachi on July 11 along with his economic team to hold talks with traders, businessmen and industrialists of the city.
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