20000316

PGBC pained at closure of Lufthansa, KLM flight operations from Karachi

RECORDER REPORT

KARACHI: Pakistan Germany Business Council (PGBC) has expressed concern over the closure of several foreign airlines' operations from Karachi.

At a press briefing held at the Federation House on Wednesday under the Chairmanship of Jamil A. Naz, Chairman, PGBC to explain the aims and objects the Council, several speakers regretted that airlines like Lufthansa and KLM had wound up their decades-old operations from Karachi to the detriment of Pakistan's export trade.

S.M.Muneer, a member of PGBC and former President of FPCCI said that when Lufthansa was closing down its operations, some government representative should have flown out to Germany to convince its management about the importance of Karachi as the biggest industrial port city. He said that he was the biggest exporter of leather goods to Germany and more than 60 percent of the export of his group is to that country.

Muneer said there might be law and order problem in the city but for that matter, even cities like New York, Chicago and London were not free. He narrated an incident a few years back in London where on one of the main streets he was mugged and his expensive wrist watch was taken away. Since the take over by the new government, he said, the situation had shown lot of improvement and things were returning to normalcy. He, however, admitted that car snatching cases were on the increase and it was a dilemma as to where the snatched and stolen cars disappear. This must be sorted out, the earlier the better, he said.

The government is trying its best to improve the situation which has not of its making, he said and referred to his talks with the Interior Minister on the subject. He said that the minister had assured him that he would soon be coming to Karachi to have a deeper look into this problem and draw some foolproof plan to eradicate this menace.

Muneer also referred to his talks with Finance Minister, Shakuat Aziz and said that he would also be coming to Karachi soon to hold meetings with businessmen to overcome the issues confronting them. He expressed hoped that sales tax laws would be amended to in such a way as to attract members of the business community to pay their due taxes without fear or fervour.

Jamil Naz also desired that airlines like Lufthansa and KLM should have stayed here instead of shifting to Dubai. He also referred to the problems of Pakistani businessmen who take part in exhibitions in Germany but it takes long to get back the VAT paid by them. He also expressed the view that investment from Germany in Pakistan, which was negligible, should improve.

Herbert te.Kloot, Director, PGBC pointed to problems being faced by PGBC and made suggestions to improve trade and industrial relations between Pakistan and Germany. He expressed happiness that PGBC within a short span of eleven months, has become the biggest bilateral body in FPCCI and unique in Pakistan as a bi-national organisation. Susanne Voigt Choudry, running an office service and education centre for Secretaries in Lahore became the hundredth member of PGBC.

We need permanent presence in Germany for dialogue to search new projects, exchange of experience across the border to improve our services to all members, which are more or less left alone. Further an organisation with members in both countries will have a chance to share the considerable funds allocated by the German government for bilateral chambers. At present, Pakistan is the only major country in the world that is blank in the net of those bilateral organisations under the umbrella of DIIHT, Kloot said.

Earlier Jamil Naz and S.M.Muneer eulogized the honorary services rendered by Kloot, a German national, for the promotion of trade and industrial relations between Pakistan and Germany. They said that his services to FPCCI and PGBC would always be remembered.