Govt must support private sector in rapid development of Sialkot: SCCI

SIALKOT: Ashraf Malik, President Sialkot Chamber of Commerce and Industry has said that the city needs massive development but governments, both federal or provincial, are not providing financial resources despite the importance of Sialkot as a leading center of seven important export sectors.

The Sialkot private sector has contributed its own funds to repair roads, build an airport, set up schools for children of workers, and are now establishing a state of the art hospital, he said. “Unfortunately, the persistent question is that if the private sector is so much involved in developing Sialkot and providing a large employment base, then why is the government not doing enough for this city of Allama Iqbal,”
 he added.

Zaki Ahmed Khan, Vice President EFP, Tahir Javed Malik, Director EFP, Syed Nazar Ali, Officer in Charge EFP, Fasihul Karim Siddiqi, Advisor, and Consultant EFP, Ch. Naseem, President Punjab PWF, and Asad Ali, Deputy Director Labor Sialkot also spoke at the event and highlighted various aspects of industrial relations and human resources development.

Malik criticized elements including some local and foreign NGOs keep on defaming Pakistan, especially at foreign forums. Moreover, he called for reducing the number of government agencies who have become detrimental to the progress of industries. He advocated the need for monitoring by EFP and Pakistan Workers Federation of labor welfare bodies so that transparency is maintained and corruption is controlled.

Ismail Suttar, President EFP, in his welcome address, said that EFP is playing a prominent role in the elimination of Child Labor and complimented Sialkot industrialists for eliminating Child Labor in their plants. He called for more government focus on the economy, especially the manufacturing sector. He suggested that a strong foundation is imperative especially in health, education, and skills development, and vocational training so that the youth are ready to enter the industries confidently.

He added that Sialkot Employers and Workers are role models for the rest of Pakistan and that the Sialkot model should be replicated in other cities. He said that emphasis should be on exports and disclosed that during the pandemic crisis, while exports of Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, Cambodia etc. decreased substantially, the exports of Pakistan have shown a substantial increase.