The 15th edition of 'My Karachi, Oasis of Harmony International Exhibition' concluded, here on Sunday with thousands of visitors, including mostly women and children, thronged the venue. The three-day event from April 20 to 22, (Friday Saturday and Sunday) was held at the Karachi Expo Centre wherein some 300 local and international companies had set-up stalls to showcase their products. The exhibition also featured stalls by Pakistan armed forces, including, navy and the air force.
Organized by Karachi Chambers of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) and inaugurated by Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, the exhibition offered not only a platform for cultivating trade relations with other countries but also enabled foreigners to become familiar with the Pakistani culture, its people and products. BMG chairman Siraj Kassam Teli at a press conference said that with food courts, play lands, musical performances and much more, the exhibition attracted over 7 million visitors during these three days. He said purpose of the event was to highlight and promote soft image of Pakistan.
"We began hosting the event in 2004 with the similar tag: My Karachi, when no one was ready to own this city and KCCI has been holding the international event each year since then," he said. Teli also sought support from Sindh and Federal governments for development of Karachi saying the metropolis has got greater significance since it is the port city and commercial hub contributing around 70 percent of the total revenue of the country.
He said Karachi was contributing lion's share to the national exchequer. He urged government to ensure business-friendly environment for Pakistani traders with smooth provision of water, energy and durable peace. He requested Water Commission to hold meetings with traders and industrialist over water issue of the city.
He accused PML-N-led federal government and PPP-led Sindh government of playing politics instead of taking the existing water and electricity crises seriously. Without naming anybody, he claimed conspiracies had been hatched against Karachi time and again. He said that for last many years, law and order situation was deteriorating; but, when peace restored, issues of water shortage and electricity outages have surfaced. He lamented political groups were indulged in point scoring with different slogans keeping forthcoming elections in view.
Answering a question, Teli said, exhibition generated around Rs 15 million to the KCCI. A new building of the Chamber is being constructed in the city that would be completed within a couple of years. The exhibition also saw business-to-business and business-to-consumer meetings, he said.