The business community of the Mirpur district of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir has expressed resentment over the slow death of the industrial sector of the district. They have expressed anger over the massive mismanagement of the state-run regulatory authorities who could not ensure the survival of the industries of Mirpur.

These views were expressed at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Mirpur AJK Chamber of Commerce and Industry by traders and industrialists. They strongly demanded from the government that immediate incentives should be provided for the revival of the industry. They said that hundreds of industrial units were sitting idle because of ineffective measures taken by the local regulatory bodies. They should be revived to create jobs for the local people they demanded.

Newly elected office bearers of the Mirpur AJK Chamber of Commerce & Industry President Sabir Hussain Shah, Senior Vice President Kashif Nazir Bajaar, and Vice President Muhammad Shafique Ratvi took the charge of their respective offices replacing the outgoing President Faisal Manzoor, Senior Vice President Zahid Subhani and Vice President (Late) Malik Azhar Mehnaz.

Speaking at the AGM, Zulfiqar Abbasi, former president of AJKCC, said that because of neglect by the chambers and the government, the industrial units of the district were in ruins. They were more like graveyards of scrap metal, and non-useable machinery rendered ineffective because of lack of use. Abbasi said that “in 1990 the number of the operational industrial units in Mirpur was 500 containing more than 50 thousand workers both skilled and unskilled.” “In 2022 the number of operational industrial units has dropped below 50. This has not only halted the economic activity of the region but also rendered thousands of people jobless. This is the reason that we see high unemployment and high rates of criminal activities in the region,” he said.

He lambasted the regulatory authorities and the local governments for not taking care of the local industry. He was angry at the attitude of the members of chambers themselves. He said that petty people joined the offices of the chambers for false representation. They had no vision, no strategy and were not sincere in the job they were given, he said, adding that they came in for personal aggrandizement and in the process destroyed the whole industrial sector of the district.

Zulfiqar Abbasi used his voice to raise concern and knock on the doors of government departments who were responsible for such a bleak picture of the industry. He stressed upon all the relevant stakeholders to close ranks and rectify the situation. He said that charity begins at home. “We need to set our own house in order. Internal wrangling and infighting have taken its toll on the industrial units. We have nothing left to produce with. We need to revive and restart our industrial units to start producing and start creating jobs,” he said.

The speakers during the event said that “much-awaited Mirpur Dry Port still needed to be completed. A lot of time has already been wasted in the slow progress over the project. We need to see the completion of the project in our lives. Also, we need assurances that the industrial sector will be helped otherwise things will get out of our hands.” Out of a total of 200 industrial units in AJK which were mostly in Mirpur and Bhimber districts, more than 100 were in very worse conditions. They were lying idle gathering dust and rust and nobody had any care for them.

Newly elected Mirpur AJKCCI President Sabir Hussain Shah promised that he will personally oversee the revival of industrial districts. He called for the need to unite and press the government to meet their demands. He said a lot of plans were in place. The problem lay in execution and their timely completion. He said that he will meet with government officials and political leaders to personally make sure that all concerns of the industrialists are addressed. “The employment opportunities in AJK could be recreated through reviving the dormant industrial sector of the region,” he said.

Credit : Independent News Pakistan-WealthPk