Ship agents and shipping companies have reacted sharply over the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry's (FPCCI's) allegations that shipping companies are involved in "malpractices which are hitting exports and resulting in harassment of exporters and damaging national economy."
Captain Rashid Abro, former Chairman, Pakistan Ship Agents Association (PSAA), in order to put the record straight, vociferously denied the charge saying "ship agents and shipping companies earn huge foreign exchange to replicate national economy." He regretted that the apex trade bodies instead of supporting its member organisation has come out openly down playing the role being played by one of the most important sectors in supporting the economy come out of its present inertia.
Pakistan is the only country in the world where in order to facilitate exporters, ship agents and shipping companies do not recover any containers handling charges on exports and containers for exports are many a times handed over to exporters at up country dry ports without charging any additional transport charges and container hire.
FPCCI has always failed to take up the problems of ship agents at higher level in spite of the fact that ship agent's association is its part, he said. FPPCI is mysteriously silent over the issue of Pakistani seamen who are being held hostage by Somali pirates. Families of these hostages are passing sleepless nights but the FPCCI has not spoken a word of sympathy to console them.
Pakistani seamen who are a major source of overseas workers' remittances are facing difficult times and loosing their jobs due to denial of visa/landing permits by a number of countries and the apex trade body has failed to take up the matter with the foreign office. Captain Abro suggested that instead of condemning the role of ship agents and shipping companies should look more realistically at resolving the problems of ship agents, he said.
Comments
Comments are closed for this article.