The local businessmen in a meeting at Islamabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry strongly condemned the terrorists attack at Karachi Airport and termed it a nefarious attempt to derail the economy, which was heading towards a taking off stage. 

 

Chairing the meeting, Muhammad Ali Mirza, Acting President, Islamabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry appreciated the valiant efforts of the security forces who managed to kill all the 7 terrorists and saved the country from bigger loss. He said the present government under the leadership of Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif was making serious efforts to revive the economy and put it on the path of sustainable development, but the enemies of the country were still active to thwart efforts aimed at making Pakistan a progressive and prosperous country.

 

He said Karachi is the commercial hub of the country and any law & order situation in this mega city translates into negative impact on whole of the country. He said government should take extraordinary measures to make foolproof security arrangements at all sensitive installations as terrorist attacks at such important places not only tarnish the image of the country, they also discourage investment and retard the growth of business activities.

 

He said due to terrorism, Pakistan has reportedly suffered huge economic losses of Rs.701 billion during the first nine months of 2013-14 while as per Economic Survey 2013-14, the country has lost more than Rs.8264-billion, both in direct and indirect costs during the past 13 years of its engagement with war on terror.  

 

This situation calls for efforts on war footing basis to curb terrorism and restore peace in the country. He appealed to the whole nation to strengthen the hands of the government to eliminate terrorism and militancy from the country as without establishing peace, it would be an uphill task to realize the full economic potential of the country.