Industrialists demand to postpone annual elections for 2020-21

KARACHI: North Karachi Association of Trade and Industry (NKATI) has demanded to the Director-General of the Trade Organization (DGTO) to postpone the annual trade body elections for 2020-21 for one year in view of the spread of the coronavirus epidemic.

In a letter to the DGTO, NKATI said that the country is currently facing a serious situation due to COVID-19 and the rapid increase in the number of patients poses a serious threat to human lives, as well as It, has devastating effects on trade and industry.

“The country is suffering from an extremely deadly epidemic coronavirus, affecting all economic activities, along with this, business activities have also been affected so gathering more people to vote in the election means inviting the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic while industrialists of North Karachi Industrial Area are very upset over this situation,” NKATI further said in a letter.

NKATI said that in light of the evolving situation of the spread of COVID-19 around the whole country and its impact on masses it has become impossible to commence elections this year. The Sindh government has also advised the masses to stop gathering for preventing the spread of COVID-19.

NKATI demanded to DGTO in view of all these facts, to postpone the annual election for the year 2020-21 till one year and also extend the term of the existing office-bearers.