PBC for resuming some industries' operations with SOPs

The Pakistan Business Council (PBC) has urged Sindh government to allow industries other than steel, cement and apparel to resume operations, conditional of course to compliance with the SOPs prescribed.

PBC's Cheif Executive Officer (CEO) Ehsan A Malik in a letter to the Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has said that prolonged shutdown carried the risk of permanent closure of some undertakings and the consequent loss of jobs and revenue to the government of Sindh.

However, he said, PBC appreciated the proactive steps taken by Sindh government to contain the spread of the Covid-19, adding no doubt countless lives had been saved.

"We also record our appreciation of the phased and safety driven manner in which your government has allowed economic activity to resume. Many of our members in food, pharmaceutical, iron and steel and export sectors in Sindh have demonstrated a heightened sense of responsibility to safe-work practices. There are anomalies between the sectors allowed to reopen by various provinces.

These are working to the detriment of those with manufacturing facilities in Sindh. As a result, the Sindh based units are losing revenue and market share, whilst continuing to pay employees and incur fixed costs. A case in point is electronic appliance manufacturers which have been allowed to reopen in Punjab, whilst those in Sindh are still locked down."

He said PBC was a private sector business policy advocacy forum composed of the largest businesses including multinationals operating in Pakistan. Its members contribute nearly 25 percent of the national tax revenue, generate 40 percent of annual exports and contribute every 9th rupee to Pakistan's GDP.

Members operate in nearly all sectors of the formal economy and many have a strong presence in Sindh.