Government should announce at least three years tax holiday for the affected businessmen of Karachi to facilitate them in restoring their businesses. This was urged by Zahid Maqbool, President, Islamabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry while presiding over a meeting of traders at Chamber House.

The businessmen expressed extreme grief and sorrow over the fact that more than 43 precious lives were lost, hundreds of retailers, wholesalers and other members of business community suffered a huge loss of over Rs.30-billion, more than 10,000 people lost their jobs while more than 3000 shops were gutted in Karachi on Dec: 28, 2009.

Zahid Maqbool said that aid package of Rs.1-billion announced by the federal government for the affected traders of Karachi was too insufficient keeping in view the magnitude of their damage and stressed that government should initially compensate at least 50 percent of the loss so that businessmen could stand on their own feet. 

He lauded the initiative of the City District Government Karachi for launching a fund for the immediate rehabilitation of the affected traders. He appealed to the philanthropists, business community and the general public to donate generously to this fund for making possible early rehabilitation of affected traders.

He further stressed upon the government to make all-out efforts for restoring the affected businessmen and traders to their original places of business. He said business community of Karachi is the backbone of the national economy and all should come forward to support them in their rehabilitation so that economy may not suffer more.