SECP urged to setup facilitation desk for business community

F.P. Report

PESHAWAR: The Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry acting president Ijaz Khan Afridi urged the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) to establish a facilitation desk for the business community at chamber house. He urged the government and relevant authorities to take pragmatic steps for ease of doing business and special incentives and facilities should be offered to businesspersons to improve the national economy.

Ijaz Afridi was speaking at an awareness seminar on ‘Ease of Doing Business and Inclusion of Women in Business’ jointly organized by Sarhad Chamber in collaboration with Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) at SCCI’s house.

The seminar was attended by members of the SCCI executive committee Ms Qurtul Ain, S Minhajuiddin, Hamza Ibrahim Butt, former vice president Abidulllah Yousafzai, Faiz Rasool, Saddar Gul, Fazal Wahid, Ihsanullah, Faiz Rasool along with traders, industrialists, importers and exporters in a large number. Deputy Registrar Incharge Company Registration SECP Peshawar Division Saqib Aslam during the seminar enlightened the participants through his multi-media presentation regarding registration, licensing process, stock market along with reforms and amendments in laws and regulations made by SECP for ease and facilitation of business community.

The senior official said reforms had been brought regarding company registration, licensing through amending relevant laws and regulations for ease of doing business. Saqib Aslam said the process of digitization and automation has been initiated to ease the difficulties of the business community.

He claimed approximately 200,000 companies had so far registered with SECP under the automatic and swift system. The Deputy Registrar said human intervention has been reduced by a digitization and automation system. He said Pakistan’s position in the world ranking index with regard to Ease of Doing Business has been improved. He said SECP will soon introduce a one window policy to facilitate the business community.

He said Senior official said SECP’s project for end-to-end digital transformation and automation is called “Leading Efficiency through Automation Prowess (LEAP) will be launched by the end of October this year.

Earlier, SCCI’s acting president Ijaz Khan Afridi thanked the SECP for conducting an awareness seminar on such an important theme. He appreciated the government, SECP and other relevant institutions for the reform initiatives because of which Pakistan’s position had been improved in the ‘Ease of Doing Business’ Index globally. Ijaz Afridi on the occasion eulogized the role of women in development of the national economy and stressed the need for providing equal opportunities to them for playing their consistent role in economic development of the country.