Covid-19: SCCI rejects compulsory vaccination

PESHAWAR: The Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) has rejected the government’s decision to bind businessmen to ensure vaccination of employees and workers against coronavirus.

The rejection was made as Sherbaz Bilour, the SCCI president, chaired a meeting of the executive committee here on Thursday.

It was attended by SCCI senior vice-president Engineer Manzoor Elahi, vice-president Junaid Altaf, executive members Zarak Khan, Abdul Jalil Jan, Muhammad Naeem Butt, Ghulam Bilal Javed, Muhammad Kamran Zeb, Fazal Muqeem, Waqar Ahmad, Muhammad Tariq, Zahoor Khan, Muhammad Aurangzeb and others.

National Command and Operations Centre (NCOC) had made mandatory vaccination for all, including the trader community against coronavirus, asking the factory owners, vendors and shopkeepers to ensure inoculation of employers and workers as well.

Following a consultation session between chambers’ presidents and NCOCs head, the SCCI chief informed the factory owners and traders that they had started vaccinating themselves against Covid-19.

However, the SCCI chief made it clear that holding the business community responsible in case of non-vaccination of employees and workers would be unfair and unjustifiable.

The meeting discussed the impacts of Covid-19 restrictions on overall businesses and industries and raised serious objections over the NCOC’s decisions, especially, directing them to vaccinate their employees and workers.

Sherbaz Bilour said the national economy and businesses had been adversely shattered by the novel coronavirus pandemic.

He emphasized that instead of multiplying miseries of the business community, the government should extend special relief and incentives, including tax holidays, rents waiver of government, Auqaf properties, utility bills for one year to revive the covid-19-hit businesses and industrial activities.

The SCCI chief said letters were sent time and again by the SCCI to Chief Minister Mahmood Khan requesting for a meeting on the problems of the business community but in vain.

The meeting discussed matters pertaining to property, professional, income taxes and condemned the tax notices to factory owners and trader community.