HYDERABAD: Muhammad Saleem Memon, President Hyderabad Chamber of Small Traders and Small Industry (HCSTSI), has expressed concern over the growing unbalanced trend of economic policymaking in Sindh, calling it an alarm bell for the internal economic structure of the province.
He has drawn the attention of the federal and provincial leadership to this, saying that the business community is the backbone of the development of any country or province; however, the recent policy trends in Sindh are continuously ignoring the economic centers of Sindh, which is very regrettable.
Giving reference of a recent meeting held at Chief Minister office regarding the smart lockdown across Sindh, he said that whenever important economic decisions or consultation process is initiated at the provincial level, it is practically limited to Karachi, while important economic centers like Hyderabad, Sukkur, Larkana, Mirpurkhas and Shaheed Benazirabad divisions are kept out of the consultation process, which is an unfair practice.
He also expressed regret that although the provincial cabinet ministers, including the Chief Minister of Sindh, visit Hyderabad, formal meetings with the local business community are not given priority. He said that no formal response has been received yet to the invitations sent by the Hyderabad business community on several occasions, which indicates the lack of effective communication with the business community and reflects the imbalance and lack of seriousness at the government level.
In his protest letter, Saleem Memon has appealed to President Asif Ali Zardari, Chairman Pakistan Peoples Party Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Chief Minister Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah to take immediate notice of this situation and ensure the permanent and formal participation of business organizations from Sindh in all economic consultative forums.
He demanded that all representative business organisations from Sindh, including the Hyderabad Chamber, be given a permanent seat in all future provincial economic, trade and policy advisory committees so that policy-making becomes more comprehensive, effective and in line with the real ground realities.
He expressed the hope that the relevant authorities will seriously review the situation and provide effective representation to the business community in the consultative process so that policy-making becomes more comprehensive and workable. He said that the Hyderabad Chamber always believes in constructive dialogue and positive collaboration and will continue to highlight its position effectively in the future under the same spirit.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026
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