ISLAMABAD: An extraordinary meeting of United Businessmen Group (UBG) core committee on Saturday unanimously opposed shifting of Federation of Pakjstan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI ) headoffice from Karachi to Islamabad and demanded of its General body not to support any such proposal. Chairing the well- attended UBG core committee meeting held in Lahore, Iftikhar Ali Malik who is also chairman of the group, said the proposal of shifting of FPCCI head office from Karachi to Islamabad was totally impractical and ill-timed. He told the participants of the meeting since Karachi is a hub of Pakistan’s commercial activities and all other offices like head offices of the commercial banks and multinational companies were in Karachi shifting of FPCCI head office from there was not advisable. Iftikhar Ali Malik counted many other reasons like availability of port, generation of the country’s major business share from Karachi in support of his arguments of not shifting FPCCI head office from its existing position to Islamabad and demanded of general body not to support this idea in its meeting scheduled for August 5, in Karachi. He said now in the prevailing situation arising out of COVID 19 pandemic , any proposal for shifting of FPCCI head office to Islamabad will harm the already slowed down business activities besides adding to the woes of the FPCCI members whose majority comes from Karachi.
SM Munir pattern in chief of UBG also addressed the core committee meeting. He amfully supported the proposal of not.shifting FPCCI head office from Karachi. He said UBG will strongly oppose any such move in general body meeting.to be held in Karachi on August 5. Many prominent leaders of UBG including Zubair Tufail ,Mian Waqar, Ghazanfar Bilour Zahid Shinvari, Mrs Afsheen Arshad , Zafar Bukhtaveri besides representatitives is Sialkot Chamber of Industry, Multan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Sahiwal Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Gujranwala Chamber of Commerce and Industry attended the core committee meeting.
