FCCI president welcomes postponement of PTI long march

FAISALABAD, Sep 26 (APP): President Faisalabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry (FCCI) Farooq Yousaf Sheikh has welcomed the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) decision to postpone its planned long march and urged the government and opposition to keep political differences from disrupting economic activity and work towards a peaceful resolution of contentious issues.

In a statement here on Saturday, he said that political parties should not turn the issue into a matter of personal ego or political point-scoring, but they should focus on creating conditions in which protests do not disrupt routine life, commercial activity and movement of goods.

FCCI President said that a peaceful and stable environment was imperative for taking economy beyond the stabilization phase towards sustainable growth.

He stressed that political differences should be addressed through dialogue and other peaceful democratic means while ensuring that ordinary citizens and businesses were not subjected to unnecessary disruption.

Referring to the economic impact of protests, he cited Finance Minister’s recent estimate that strikes, long marches, sit-ins and road blockages could cause economic losses of around Rs.120 billion per day.

Such disruptions could particularly affect transportation and movement of import and export consignments, with consequences for businesses, workers, traders and consumers, he added.

He urged opposition parties to ensure that any future demonstrations remained peaceful and did not create fear or insecurity among citizens.

He also called for measures to prevent blockades and other disruptions from affecting the movement of commercial vehicles and containers carrying import and export cargo.

Pakistan was a shared national asset and all stakeholders should avoid actions that could directly or indirectly damage the country’s economic activity and public welfare, he added.