Businessmen seek politcians’ help for seats in parliament

[Naveed Yaseen]

By Saad Hasan
KARACHI: The apex trade body of the country has started approaching political parties to secure seats for its members in the parliament, which has traditionally remained the bastion of feudal elite and agriculturists.

Businesses associated with the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) will support industrialists and trade body representatives to run in the next election, said Tariq Sayeed, FPPCI member.

“We will support MNAs and MPAs from each city, notwithstanding their party affiliation provided they are from the business and trade community,” he said here at a meeting with Balochistan Chief Minister Aslam Raisani.

Industrialists say the long neglect on the part of successive governments has completely affected the manufacturing base of the country. Lack of state support has created a vacuum of skilled workers and technology which reduce the cost of production over time. Saeed asked Raisani, who approached the FPCCI to get invested in impoverished Balochistan, to help businessmen get tickets for seats in the parliament through his party.

Balochistan neglected: Raisani said the agitation engulfing Balochistan is the result of years of alienation and not backwardness.

“Problem of Balochistan is not (lack of) development but the problem is political.” He said the cause of unrest in the insurgency-hit province was the sense of deprivation among people in making decisions about their own resources. “We don’t want development at the cost of exploitation of our resources,” he said, adding that “we want development as we want it.”

The chief minister, who played a vital role in settling differences between President Asif Zardari and PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif, insisted people of his province are liberal. “There is a perception that we are illiterate,” he said, minutes after FPCCI President Sultan Ahmed Chawla had stressed the need for educating youth in Balochistan.

“Degrees do not give you education, it is enlightenment which matters. And we are very enlightened.” He asked the business community to come forward to invest in the province, which also retains the country’s third port at Gwadar. “To make Gwadar a success you people must invest in.” Allaying security concerns of the investors, he said the situation is normalizing since start of reconciliation process. “Political detainees have been released and cases have been dropped.”

Balochistan seeks share: Balochistan Chief Secretary Nasir Mehmood Khosa sought share of the province in the state-owned energy firms. “Federal government should sell part of its ownership in SSGC and PPL to Balochistan.” In this regard, he said the government can issue right shares at their face values. “Whenever it is done we will be ready to buy them.”

The government holds majority share in both Pakistan Petroleum Ltd (PPL) and Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC), which have prospered into corporate-giants by producing and distributing gas from reserves in Balochistan.

http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=171514