PESHAWAR - Known industrialist and PTI Senator Nauman Wazir Friday asked the government to take measures to cut down the cost of doing business in the country.
He was addressing Sustainable Development Conference organised under the auspices of Sustaining Development Policy Institute (SDPI). The function was organised to give practical shape to the proposal of the signing of Charter of Economy given by him last month.
The senator called for bringing down power tariff for industries from Rs18 per unit to Rs13 and the provision of cheap natural gas to the industries, adding that the price of RLNG, which is Rs1100/mmbtu, is also higher and in such situation exports of the country cannot be increased. He said that like textile industry the government should also provide subsidies on all other sectors/products also to increase national exports and attract other countries towards Pakistani goods.
He called for increasing exports, however, he linked it with the provision of sufficient electricity and cut in the per unit tariff of energy.
Regarding China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), he categorically stated that PTI is not opposed to the game changer project. However, he said that the benefits of this mega project should be extended to the whole country.
About free trade agreements (FTAs), he said that though Pakistan has signed FTAs with several countries, but instead of benefits they are inflicting losses on us. For instance, he said that earlier our trade deficit with China was only $2 billion but after the signing of FTA it has grown up to $10 billion.
Similarly, he said that SOEs(state owned enterprises), whose total number is 186, are going in loss of Rs560 billion, adding that direct affectees of the losses are the poor people of Pakistan. He said that privatization of these companies can turning them into profitable organizations. He said that it would be better for our parliamentary leaders to avoid giving further loans to these SOEs and discourage the tradition of bearing further losses of such enterprises.
