F.P. Report
PESHAWAR: Businessmen in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa out-rightly rejected the government’s decision, bounding them to ensure vaccination of employees and workers against coronavirus.
Sherbaz Bilour, president of Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry, who was chairing a meeting of the chamber’s executive committee here at the chamber house on Thursday, told the house that the National Command and Operations Centre (NCOC) had made mandatory vaccination for all, including traders community against coronavirus, asking the factory owners, vendors and shopkeepers to ensure inoculation of their employers and workers as well.
Following a consultation session between chambers’ presidents and NCOCs head, SCCI chief informed factory owners and traders that they have started vaccinating themselves against Covid-19. However, he made it clear that holding the business community responsible in case of denial of employees and workers from getting vaccination would be completely ‘unfair’ and ‘unjustifiable’.
The meeting thoroughly deliberated upon the impacts of covid-19 restrictions on overall businesses and industries and raised serious objections over the NCOC’s decisions, especially, directing them to vaccinate their employees and workers.
Sherbaz Bilour observed the national economy and businesses adversely shattered by the novel coronavirus pandemic. He emphasized that instead of multiplying miseries of the business community, the government should extend special relief and incentives, including tax-holidays, waiving off rents of government, Auqaf properties rents, utilities bills for one year to revive the covid-19 hit businesses and industrial activities.
The speakers informed that despite the sending time and again letter by SCCI to Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for holding a meeting with business community to apprise him about problems. They lamented that the CM was least bothered to accept our call for a meeting, which is highly deplorable.
The participants expressed serious concern over unwarranted and unlawful raids on factories and industrial units by officials of EOBI department in Hayatabad Industrial Estate and Small Industrial Estate Kohat Road Peshawar and harassing factory owners and staff through various tactics, asking for stopping the illegal practice immediately.
The forum also discussed matters pertaining to property, professional, income taxes and condemned the issues of tax notices to factory owners and traders community.
The businessmen warned that if the government would not take serious steps to resolve the issues, they would be compelled to take aggressive steps including protest, strikes and setting up of agitation camps and use other means of protests.
The EC meeting was attended by SCCI’s senior vice president Engineer Manzoor Elahi, vice president Junaid Altaf, former FPCCI president Ghazanfar Bilour, former presidents Riaz Arshad, Zahidullah Shinwari, Malik Niaz Ahmad, Haji Muhammad Afzal, Engineer Maqsood Anwar Pervaiz, Zulfiqar Ali Khan, Faiz Muhammad Faizi, executive members Zarak Khan, Abdul Jalil Jan, Muhammad Naeem Butt, Ghulam Bilal Javed, Muhammad Kamran Zeb, Fazal Muqeem, Waqar Ahmad, Muhammad Tariq, Zahoor Khan, Muhammad Aurangzeb, former SVP Shahid Hussain, Faiz Rasool, Sadar Gul, Shams Rahim and Rashid Iqbal Siddique.
