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Businessmen upbeat about army chief’s resolve to revive economy

Published

9 months ago

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  • FPCCI president calls meeting with army chief a breath of fresh air.
  • $25bn investment discussed with Saudi Arabia, COAS Munir tells business community. 
  • Government would not go full-fledge for privatisation, he adds.

KARACHI: As the country is faced with a serious economic crisis, Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Syed Asim Munir told the business community that all-out efforts will be made to bring foreign investment to the country and revive the economy, The News reported Tuesday.

The army chief gave these assurances in one of his recent detailed meetings with the traders where he spoke with the business community candidly. 

Speaking in the Geo News programme “Aaj ShahzebKhanzada Kay Sath” on Monday, Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FPCCI) President Irfan Iqbal Sheikh said that the meeting with the army chief is a breath of fresh air. 

He said the army chief told them that a $25 billion investment had been discussed with Saudi Arabia, which had assured Pakistan of investment in IT, minerals, agriculture and defence. 

COAS Munir told the business community that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman had agreed that of the $25 billion, $10 billion would be kept in the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP). This will be returned in the form of the Pakistani rupee or goods so that the foreign exchange could increase.

The army chief said that the crown prince has identified bureaucracy obstacles to investment and called for removing them, adding that they have Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) to do away with the bureaucratic hurdles.

Now nobody could disturb them, nor any bureaucrats could undermine them nor would they face any problems with courts. He said the army chief told the business community that Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) had held out the assurance that each would invest $25 billion, while $25 billion each would come from Qatar and Kuwait.

Sheikh said that Gen Munir had vowed that the land-grabbing mafia and the extortion mafia would be reined in to control corruption, adding that four task forces are being constituted on the Federal Board of Revenue of Pakistan (FBR), border control, smuggling and social media to improve the situation. 

FPCCI president also stressed that the business community had become disappointed but the army chief had given it courage and hope.

Meanwhile, Business Group Chairman Zubair Motiwala said that every new chief holds meetings with traders. 

Welcoming the meeting, Motiwala said that the body language of the army chief was different this time as compared to the traders’ meetings held with his predecessors. He added that Gen Munir went to Saudi Arabia and the UAE for the revival of the economy, and now he plans to go to Qatar and Kuwait.

Motiwala said COAS Munir directed the corps commander that not a single litre of Iranian diesel should come to Karachi while he also issued directives for retaking encroached lands, ending corruption and improving law and order.

The COAS also said that only registered Afghan refugees can live in Pakistan and the rest of them will have to go back to their country, adding that Saudi’s crown prince complained about corruption and bureaucracy in Pakistan.

Motiwala said they discussed the charter of the economy with the army chief, hoping that such a huge investment would bring improvement to the economic conditions in the country. 

He said they drew the attention of the army chief towards the need for investment.

The business community also told Gen Munir that Rs1,300 billion is going to waste due to state-owned enterprises, stressing that political governments cannot opt for privatisation, he added. 

The army chief said he realised that the government would not go full-fledge for privatisation and would get rid of the burden at all costs.

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Pakistan’s gold prices are still declining; see the most recent

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5 days ago

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The price of 10-gram gold reduced by Rs943 to settle at Rs207,733, while the price of gold dropped by Rs1200 to close at Rs242,300 a tola, according to the Sindh Sarafa Jewellers Association.

In the global market, the price of the precious metal fell by $10 to $2,349 per ounce, resulting in losses.

At 04:48 GMT, the spot price of gold had dropped by 0.2% to $2,354.77 per ounce. In the previous session, prices reached a two-week high.

American gold futures dropped 0.6% to $2,361.

Spot silver decreased by 0.4% to $28.03 per ounce, while palladium remained steady at $978.03 and platinum decreased by 0.1% to $992.89.

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Business

Pakistan and the IMF begin talks for a new loan.

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5 days ago

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Pakistan is requesting a $6 to $8 billion bailout package from the international lender over the next three to four years to address its financial troubles.

A mission team led by Nathan Porter, the IMF’s Mission Chief in Pakistan, is meeting with a Pakistani delegation led by Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb.

According to sources familiar with the situation, Islamabad may face more difficult options, such as raising power and gas bills.

Mr. Aurganzeb informed the IMF team that the country’s economy has improved as a result of the IMF loan package, and Islamabad is ready to sign a new loan programme to further develop.

The IMF mission expressed satisfaction with Islamabad’s efforts to revive the country’s struggling economy.

The IMF praised Pakistan’s economic growth in its staff report earlier this week, but warned that the outlook remains challenging, with very high downside risks.

The country nearly avoided collapse last summer, and its $350 billion economy has stabilized since the end of the last IMF program, with inflation falling to roughly 17% in April from a record high of 38% last May.

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Business

Petrol prices are likely to drop significantly beginning May 16.

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5 days ago

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According to sources, the government is set to decrease petrol prices by Rs 14 per litre and diesel prices by Rs 10 on May 16 for the next fortnight’s revision.

Last month, the government reduced the price of fuel and high-speed diesel by Rs5.45 and Rs8.42 per fortnight, respectively.

The current fuel price is Rs288.49 per litre, while the HSD price is Rs281.96.

Meanwhile, oil prices fell further on Monday, as signs of sluggish fuel consumption and comments from U.S. Federal Reserve officials dimmed optimism for interest rate reduction, which may slow growth and reduce fuel demand in the world’s largest economy.

Brent crude prices down 25 cents, or 0.3%, to $82.54 a barrel, while US West Texas Intermediate crude futures fell 19 cents, or 0.2%, to $78.07 per barrel.

Oil prices also declined on signals of poor demand, according to ANZ analysts, as gasoline and distillate inventories in the United States increased in the week before the start of the driving season.

Refiners throughout the world are dealing with falling diesel profitability as new refineries increase supply and warm weather in the northern hemisphere and weak economic activity reduce demand.

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