Faisalabad Declared Pakistan's First Circular City

Key Points:

Governor Punjab declares Faisalabad the country’s first circular city at an FCCI meeting.
Vice chancellors of Punjab universities will be directed to visit chambers and appoint focal persons.
A Governor House focal person for the FCCI will be nominated next week.
The Governor vowed to take up the murder of a local industrialist at the highest level.

FAISALABAD: Governor Punjab Sardar Saleem Haider Khan has declared Faisalabad Pakistan’s first circular city and said the objective behind the decision is only the development and prosperity of Pakistan, the province and its people.

Addressing a meeting at the Faisalabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry, he paid rich tribute to the business community, which is striving to keep the national economy moving despite the most difficult circumstances.

He said a clear gap exists between industry and academia. He said he would bind the vice chancellors of all universities in Punjab to visit the chamber of commerce and industry of their respective areas.

The vice chancellors would be asked to understand the problems of the business community, form committees and nominate focal persons. They would also be asked to link the modern research carried out in their institutions with industry so that its benefit reaches industries and the public.

The Governor said it would be a major achievement if investors promoted “Made in Pakistan” products. He said the business community, including the textile industry, is still producing quality goods, but 80 per cent of these products are exported under foreign brands.

Governor House Focal Person to Be Named Next Week

About the nomination of a focal person from the Governor Secretariat, he said the nomination would be made when the FCCI delegation visits Governor House next week. The focal person would remain in constant contact with the chamber and resolve its problems without bureaucratic hurdles.

He said a team has now been formed at Governor House that would both respond to the business community and deliver results.

Business Community Burdened by Energy Costs and Taxes

Discussing the country’s economic conditions, the Governor said he was fully aware that the business community was troubled by expensive electricity, costly energy, high interest rates and heavy taxes.

He said taxes are deducted from the salaries of government employees, while traders and industrialists who are already in the tax net are being squeezed. He added that the tax net itself is not being widened.

He said he would arrange a meeting of the FCCI with President Asif Ali Zardari and Pakistan Peoples Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari. He would also try to bring Bilawal Bhutto Zardari to the Faisalabad chamber so the business community could brief him directly on its problems.

Eight Bazaars and Industrialist Murder Raised

About the problems of the eight bazaars in the inner city, the Governor asked the chamber to submit the issue to him in writing along with a workable solution. He said this would help evolve a middle way acceptable to all sides.

About the murder of a local industrialist, he said he would take up the matter at the highest level so that the culprits are arrested without delay.

FCCI Demands IT University Campus and Recycling Pilot

Earlier, Faisalabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Arif Ehsan Malik welcomed the Governor and presented the chamber’s demands, including the declaration of Faisalabad as a circular city. He demanded that a campus of an IT university be established in Faisalabad and harmony be created between education, skills and employment opportunities.

He stressed the need to improve industrial laws and create ease of doing business. He said the chamber wants to make a practical start on turning Faisalabad into a circular city.

He said new products should be made from textile waste and the water used by industries should be made reusable to reduce the wastage of resources. He requested the Governor to recommend a workable pilot project for textile recycling, joint water treatment or water reuse in a selected industrial cluster of Faisalabad.

He said the services of local universities could also be obtained for this purpose.

The FCCI president stressed the revival of the SME sector and improvement in infrastructure. He underlined the need for permanent liaison between the Governor Secretariat and the chamber through focal persons nominated by both institutions.

He said a responsible institution should be fixed for every proposal and a short progress review meeting should be held after three months to check implementation. He also pressed for the commercialisation of lab test projects of different universities.

He said the chamber could hold a research-to-business showcase every three months. University officials would present their research and inventions before investors at the showcase.

Question Session and Vote of Thanks

Chaudhary Muhammad Nawaz, Rana Muhammad Sikandar Azam Khan, Mian Aftab Ahmed, Sheikh Muhammad Fazil, Haji Muhammad Aslam Bhalli and Tanveer Riaz took part in the question and answer session. Group leader Mian Javed Iqbal thanked the Governor and the guests.

Mian Javed Iqbal said universities offering PhDs in business subjects should be directed to select research thesis topics in consultation with the relevant chamber. He said this would promote research aligned with the needs of local business.

He pinned a special collar pin on the Governor in connection with the golden jubilee celebrations of the FCCI. President Arif Ehsan Malik presented an honorary shield of the chamber to Governor Sardar Saleem Haider Khan.

Former federal minister Rana Farooq Saeed Khan, Naeem Dastgir and Chaudhary Arshad Jutt were also present on the occasion. FCCI Senior Vice President Mian Muhammad Saeed and Vice President Muhammad Yaseen also attended the meeting.