President Alvi says Pakistan on growth path

KARACHI: President Dr Arif Alvi, while addressing the 44th FPCCI Export Awards on Thursday, said Pakistan has overcome Covid-related problems to a great extent, and economic growth was moving in the right direction.

Appreciating the business community for their contributions despite the challenging times, the president said that the country’s exports have crossed $25 billion this year, which was a good omen.

Alvi distributed awards for the best performance among top exporters this year. Also present were FPCCI President Mian Nasser Hyatt Maggo, SVP Khawaja Shahzeb Akram, former president Mian Anjum Nisar, Senator Haji Ghulam Ali, and, a large number of prominent exporters and traders from all over Pakistan including Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Kashmir.

Maggo said, “We are happy that Pakistan is moving towards economic growth, prosperity and stability, and will emerge as one of the economic powers in the region.”

As Afghanistan begins the process of reconstruction, Pakistan should be ready to derive economic benefits. He maintained that there was an enormous potential for better capitalisation on CPEC.

Speaking of moving beyond the conventional export markets and products, Maggo urged to take advantage of the changes taking place in the region.

“We have said many times that FPCCI should be consulted before imposing new taxes and increasing existing taxes,” he said, while emphasising that the FPCCI and Pakistan's business community would help the government meet the taxation targets.

Seeking a conducive environment for businesses, the FPCCI president said government needed to address the issues faced by trade and industry. He also asked government to allow exporting surplus food items.

Former president of FPCCI Anjum Nisar said exporters were working hard but the rising cost of doing business was hindering progress. Taking care of that could spur investment from diverse countries in the country, he added, while also asking government to reconsider some of its policy initiatives.

Earlier, Dr Alvi in his keynote emphasised the importance of Pakistan’s geographical location, which allowed connections with South, Central and West Asia.

Businesses should use this advantage to promote trade and exports, he reminded.

Acknowledging the problems faced by small and medium enterprises, he said the government was keen on providing a conducive environment for the business community.

“We want to make Pakistan an attractive and peaceful country; and, we always take into consideration the suggestions and proposals from the apex trade body, ie FPCCI,” he stressed while responding to the contention raised by FPCCI chief about consultation.

Restoring the economy was the first priority of the government, for which it wanted to increase the exports and accelerate economic growth. “If we can eradicate dishonesty and corruption from this country, then Pakistan will get its rightful place in the world community,” he added.

He congratulated all the winners of the awards, including Reliance Petrochem Industries, Pak-Arab Refinery and Shan Foods, which won the top three export awards of Pakistan.

FPCCI congratulated the senior leadership of the institution, specifically Mirza Abdul Rehman and Qurban Ali, for the highly-successful, largely-attended and extraordinary 44th Export Awards distribution ceremony.