Siraj Kassam Teli demands Prime Minister of Pakistan to provide security and safety to the Karachi business and industrial community

Karachi, September 05, 2013 (PPI-OT): Chairman, Businessmen Group and Former President KCCI Mr. Siraj Kassam Teli demanded the Prime Minister of Pakistan to provide security and safety to the business and industrial community as well as the Karachiites from the criminal elements who are constant threat to the live and property of the citizens in Karachi as the situation was very severe and the Government was already late to bring peace.

In the meeting chaired by the Prime Minister of Pakistan Mian Nawaz Sharif on the agenda to restore peace in Karachi held on 3rd September, 2013 at Governor House Karachi, he voiced that Karachi is a goose laying golden eggs and everyone who can through force wants to snatch these eggs whether it is an individual, political party, law enforcing agency, institution, tax collecting agency or a group.

The criminal/ unscrupulous elements of the society want to kill this goose which lays golden eggs. He told the Prime Minister having access to the intelligence and all other information that there is a percentage in the law enforcing agencies as well as political parties who are involved in these crimes and it has become a war of turf to gain control over the golden eggs.

Siraj Kassam Teli stated that the Businessmen Group of KCCI representing over 90 per cent business and industrial community of Karachi has been constantly raising our voice and suggesting corrective measures for the law and order situation since last many years but instead of betterment it is getting worse day by day and all the law enforcing agencies and the government of the day keep on assuring us but to no avail and have learnt that there is no political and administrative will. He demanded extraordinary measures to maintain law and order in the city.

He suggested the Prime Minister remedies which are important to maintain law and order and invited his attention towards the misuse of the prepaid mobile SIMs in criminal activities. In view of the fact that mobile phones are used in 70 per cent criminal activities taking place with the use of prepaid SIMs, he also demanded the Prime Minister to order all the mobile phone services providers to cancel all prepaid mobile SIMs and reissue duplicate SIMs and send to the subscribers on their postal address via courier service which will automatically get rid of those SIMs which are issued other than the CNIC holders and activate them after proper verification from the genuine users. This exercise will take hardly two-three days in this era of information technology.

Siraj Kassam Teli stated that as it is an open secret that police is politicized and linked with political parties in these crimes, therefore, to depoliticize police force immediately, the quickest way is to transfer the total force to other provinces and bring in police from there who have not been in Karachi before and provide them with a mandate and confirmed tenure of minimum a year as you will not find a single SHO/DSP or SP in all the 120 police stations of Karachi who has not been allowed to serve more than 3-4 months, the time which does not even allow him to understand the demography of the area and people who commit crimes in his jurisdiction.

Siraj Kassam Teli articulated, “We the Businessmen Group at KCCI and SITE Association represent over 90 per cent of the Business Community of Karachi for the last 15 years and have no political affiliation as a Group or as an institution but individually some of our members may have.

On one hand all the political forces talk about their mandates in different provinces and cities but when it comes to the Business and Industrial Community of Karachi they would not like to accept over 90 per cent manage of the BMG and they interact with such people who have been losing KCCI elections for last 15 years and the last 20 years of unopposed status in SITE Association and have not mandate but are good at “Hails to Presence/Flattering/Buttering” of the bureaucrats and politicians.”

Chairman BMG Siraj Kassam Teli stated, “We the Business and Industrial Community of Karachi are strong supporters of democracy in the country and do not want Army to take over but at the same time we demand from the Government immediate action against criminals irrespective of cast, colour and creed or any political affiliations whatsoever and to do that government must use all resources at its disposal, Police, Rangers, Frontiers Core or even if need be Army as it is the duty of the State to provide security and safety to the life and property of its citizen.”

Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s President Muhammad Haroon Agar stated that he appealed the Prime Minister of Pakistan for taking all essential measures and steps to restore peace in Karachi. Although, after 18th Amendment in the Constitution, Law and Order was provincial subject, however, owing to very alarming and severest ever law and order situation in the history of Karachi, the Prime Minister of Pakistan must intervene and the Federal Government must help the Sindh Government to restore peace in Karachi for the safety and security of lives and property of the citizen. He also urged to create a task force comprising of the officers from army and law enforcing agencies to monitor and use latest technology and equipment to locate the criminal elements involved in extortion (bhatta) and kidnapping for ransom.

They stated that indeed it is encouraging to note the Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif while expressing his entire determination to restore peace and regain the status of Karachi as “City of Lights” has assured the business and industrial community of Karachi to take extraordinary measures and step towards ensuring law and order and safety and security of the citizens. The Prime Minister has further assured that concerted efforts will be made to eliminate all the criminal elements without any discrimination or political influence.

For more information, contact:
M. Shafiq Baig
Public Relations Officer
Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI)
Aiwan-e-Tijarat Road,
Shahrah-e-Liaquat, Karachi-74000
Tel: +9221 9921 8001 -09
Fax: +9221 9921 8010
Email: pro@kcci.com.pk, pro2@kcci.com.pk
Website: http://www.kcci.com.pk/