SCCI, BoI to form a joint working group to resolve business community issues

PESHAWAR: (HRNW) Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Board of Investment (BoI) Islamabad have decided to form a joint working group to resolve the business community issues as well as to attract investment in KP, including newly merged districts by creating favorable business climate under Prime Minister’s vision of ‘Ease of Doing Business’.

The decision was made during a meeting between SCCI president Sherbaz Bilour, Executive Director General and Additional Secretary of BOI Islamabad, Mukaram Jan Ansari and KPBOIT CEO Hassan Daud Butt here at the chamber house on Thursday.

Besides, SCCI senior vice president Engineer Manzoor Elahi, former president Haji Muhammad Afzal, former senior vice president Shahid Hussain, former vice presidents Malik Niaz Muhammad Awan, Abdul Jalil Jan , Abidullah Yousafzai, members of the SCCI’s executive committee Zahoor Khan, Waqar Ahmad, Shams Rahim, Saddar Gul, Faiz Rasool, SMEDA provincial chief Rashid Aman, senior officials from BOI Islamabad, KPBOIT, a large number of representatives from relevant government authorities, stakeholders, trade bodies, importers and exporters were present during the meeting.

Sherbaz Bilour while speaking on the occasion said KP is luractive destination for making investment. However, he termed the government’s initiatives regarding Ease of Doing Business as insufficient.

He informed that SCCI in collaboration with relevant government departments, including KPBOIT is making vigorous efforts to attract investments, industrialization, especially resolution of issues of business community in KP.

The SCCI chief emphasized that the business community has played a pivotal role in the economic development of the country. Therefore, he urged the government to take pragmatic steps to facilitate the business community at every level.

KP was a war-affected province as the business community had rendered matchless sacrifices, he noted. However, he lamented that the constitutional rights of KP has always been usurped by the successive governments, which is highly unjustifiable and deplorable.

He called upon the government to offer a special economic relief package and incentives to attract investment in KP, especially in newly merged tribal districts (NMDs) and Provincial Administrative Tribal Areas.

Mukaram Jah Ansari while responding to different queries of the participants said the BOI under PM’s vision, was taking practical measures in collaboration with provincial boards of investment to attract investment and create a favorable business environment in the country.

While admitting the sacrifices of KP business community in war against terrorism and extremism, Mr Ansari said the environment is quite favorable for making investment in this region.

However, he acknowledged that the business community has confronted numerous problems owing to complicated laws and cumbersome procedures, which have slowed down industrial, trade and commercial activities in the province.

The senior official informed that BOI in collaboration with KPBOIT is going to launch a program aimed at facilitating the business community. He assured that they will take every possible step to resolve the issues of the traders.

Mr Ansari disclosed that the government had introduced a new taxation regime for small traders in the fiscal budget 2021-22, according to which, tax returns would be filed on single page, besides access to credit for Small and Medium Enterprises has been made easier through this initiative.

Similarly, the senior official mentioned that the Web Based One Custom (WeBoC) will be replaced with Pakistan Single Window system in order to remove irritants and boost up exports and imports, which is a major step of the government toward bringing EoDB.

Likewise, he informed us that the condition of E and I form for exports would be abolished, which can also help to improve export and export.

Earlier, Hassan Duad Butt, Haji Muhammad Afzal, Engineer Manzoor Elahi, Zahoor Khan, Waqar Ahmad, Aftab Hayat, Rashid Aman and others also spoke on the occasion and gave several recommendations for amicable resolution of business community issues.