Feb 20 , 2016
News
Businessmen hail PM’s ‘harnessing’ of NAB
KARACHI: The Chairman of Businessmen Group (BMG) Siraj Kassam Teli and Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Younus Bashir have severely criticised the investigation agencies, including NAB and FIA.
While appreciating Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s standpoint over the actions taken by National Accountability Bureau (NAB) against business and industrial community, Siraj said it will go a long way in not only restoring local investors’ confidence but will clear the air for foreign investments as well. The Chairman Businessmen Group and KCCI president said that they fully support the prime minister’s remarks, as no law enforcement agency, including NAB, FIA, FBR, should misuse their powers and harass industrialists or businessmen without solid proofs.
A statement issued by the Businessmen Group and office-bearers of Karachi Chamber stated that such practices by NAB shattered the confidence of the entire business and industrial community, resulting in flight of capital and businesses from Pakistan, which will have a severe negative impact on the economic performance of the country. Referring to some media reports in which it has been indicated that the prime minister probably gave these remarks against NAB in response to complaints by some of the leading businessmen, namely Sohail Tabba, Hussain Dawood and Mian Muhammad Mansha, BMG leadership and KCCI office-bearers wondered if NAB can create problems for such high-profile businessmen then what must it be doing with comparatively smaller businesses.
Reiterating BMG’s clear policy of being a non-political organisation, they said that BMG and KCCI fully appreciate the prime minister’s directives to NAB to stop harassing the business and industrial community, as they have got nothing to do with politics and were purely in the national interest. Such actions by NAB, FIA, FBR or any other institution put the integrity of business and industrial community at stake, which will not be acceptable at any cost, they added while pointing out that the business and industrial community contributes hugely in terms of taxes to the national exchequer, which were being used to run government organisations and law enforcement agencies, including NAB, FBR and FIA, but instead of facilitating the business community, these departments were mostly harassing and penalising them, which has been rightly pinpointed by the prime minister.
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk