Business Community Calls for Stronger Representation in Decision-Making: Tariq Sadiq

ISLAMABAD: Founder Group Chairman of the Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI) Tariq Sadiq has said that the country’s economy can be placed on a strong footing if the business community and government institutions work together.

He said effective representation of the business community in key decision-making institutions was the need of the hour, adding that the strength of the Founder Group lay in its unity, organisation and the confidence of the business community.

He was speaking at a dinner hosted by Wajid Ayub, Javedullah Wazir and the business community of Tarnol in honour of Founder Group leaders and candidates in connection with the upcoming ICCI elections.

ICCI Council members Abdul Rauf Alam, Khalid Javed, Zafar Bakhtawari, Khalid Iqbal Malik, Amir Waheed, Chaudhry Masood and Chaudhry Waheeduddin, along with a large number of traders, attended the event.

Tariq Sadiq said the Founder Group had always raised its voice for the rights of the business community and protection of business interests. He stressed the need for traders to set aside differences and elect their representatives through unity so that business-related issues could be effectively taken up with the relevant forums through the chamber.

Wajid Ayub said, “Our life and death is with the Founder Group,” adding that they were working day and night for its success. He said he had stood with the group for the past 10 years and would continue to remain loyal to it.

He said the leaders of the Founder Group had been serving Islamabad’s business community and the city for the past 40 years. He claimed that the presence of 280 voters at the event was a clear indication of the group’s strength, while the participation of around 50 per cent of its voters demonstrated the business community’s support for the Founder Group.

Former ICCI president Ahsan Zafar Bakhtawari said that as discussions about the creation of new provinces were taking place in the country, there was also a need to consider establishing an “Islamabad Businessmen and Citizens Party” immediately.

He urged businesspeople in Islamabad to contest the next assembly elections from their respective constituencies so that the city could have genuine representation. He said businesspeople understood the problems of their respective areas better and could resolve them more effectively if they had representation in the assembly.

Ahsan Bakhtawari said Zakaria Zia and Umar Hussain would serve the chamber even better than former presidents, while Senior Vice President candidate Iftikhar Chattha was also an excellent choice.

Referring to the problems faced by traders in Tarnol, he called for resolving the parking issue in coordination with the National Highway Authority (NHA) and demanded an effective campaign for the construction of a flyover at the GT Road railway crossing.

He said that if Islamabad had its own assembly, the city’s issues could be addressed more effectively. He also announced that the Founder Group would present a formal election manifesto for the chamber elections.

Ahsan Bakhtawari invited the business community to join hands to take charge of the city and transform Islamabad into one of the world’s most beautiful and business-friendly cities.

Amir Waheed said the Founder Group had always raised its voice for the rights of traders, adding that the strong participation of the business community in the ongoing election campaign reflected its confidence in the group.

Ijaz Abbasi said unity and strong representation were essential for resolving the problems of the business community.

Presidential candidate Zakaria Zia thanked the hosts and participants, saying that the love, trust and sincerity shown by the business community would always be remembered. He said that after the elections, they would continue to take everyone along and jointly work to resolve the problems of Islamabad’s business community.

Presidential candidate Umar Hussain said the objective of the Founder Group’s victory was not merely to secure office, but to strengthen the chamber, effectively take the voice of traders to the corridors of power and ensure that business community issues were addressed on a priority basis.

He said all groups and trader organisations would be taken on board to promote Islamabad’s development and expand business activities in the city.

Kashif Chaudhry, president of the Central Traders Organisation Pakistan, said they would take all colleagues along and ensure the success of the Founder Group, making the chamber an effective platform for resolving the genuine problems of traders.

Babar Chaudhry performed the duties of stage secretary and welcomed the participants at the event.