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Business Recorder
3 days ago
- Politics
- Business Recorder
Success of ‘Bunyān Mursas': Special Thanksgiving Day ceremony held at FPCCI
KARACHI: A special Thanksgiving Day ceremony was held in Karachi under the auspices of the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FPCCI) to celebrate the success of Operation 'Bunyān Mursas'. The event was graced by Sindh's Senior Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon as the chief guest. Sharjeel Inam Memon, Provincial Minister for Information, Transport, and Mass Transit, stated: "Alhamdulillah, Pakistan has won this war with pride—this is a historic victory for the nation." He added that May 10th would always remain a memorable day for him at the age of 51. He emphasized that Pakistan's armed forces and political leadership united to deal a historic defeat to the enemy, and this victory belongs to the collective struggle of 250 million people. He further stated that Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto laid the foundation of Pakistan's nuclear program, and Shaheed Benazir Bhutto made the country's defense invincible by introducing missile technology. Sharjeel Inam Memon remarked that today, travelling abroad on a Pakistani passport is a matter of pride. Criticizing the Indian media, he said that it was only spreading lies and that defamation cases should be filed globally against such organizations. He praised the Pakistani media for broadcasting verified news and said that our fighter pilots made the enemy taste bitter defeat. Senator Sarmad Ali said that by the grace of Almighty Allah, Pakistan achieved success on every front, and under the leadership of Field Marshal General Asim Munir, the enemy was thoroughly defeated. He also commended the Pakistani media for acting responsibly and praised Bilawal Bhutto Zardari for effectively projecting Pakistan's stance on the international stage. The participants paid glowing tribute to the Pakistan Armed Forces, saying that Operation 'Bunyān Mursus' delivered a strong and decisive response to the enemy. Saqib Fayyaz Maggoon said, "We thank Allah that the Pakistan Army upheld the nation's honour and proved that 'Pakistan is a formidable defensive power." Faisal Zahid Malik paid a heartfelt tribute to 'Field Marshal General Asim Munir', stating that he united the nation as one he remarked that a few months ago, a divided nation had now transformed into a solid, unified front. During the ceremony, participants also paid deep tribute to Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Field Marshal General Asim Munir and the martyrs of the nation, stating that Pakistan not only won the war but also asserted its dominance on diplomatic, political, and media fronts. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Business Recorder
5 days ago
- Business
- Business Recorder
Murad urges youth to contribute to investment and defence
KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has urged the youth to contribute to national investment and defence, saying during the recent conflict with India, the power of the people combined with technology played a vital role. Speaking at the Sindh Startups Exhibition, organised by the Sindh Higher Education Commission (HEC) in collaboration with the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI), he emphasised for creating bridge between classrooms and boardrooms, and between research and real-world impact. The exhibition featured ideas from students and faculty across Sindh's public and private universities. From the 50 projects presented in the moot, five outstanding entries were selected by industry leaders based on their potential for scaling, adoption, and industrialisation. Each winning team will receive a cash award of Rs0.5million. The chief minister lauded the Sindh HEC for its vision and commitment to strengthening higher education, noting a shift from routine learning to real innovation and collaboration. He urged all Vice Chancellors and university leaders to draw inspiration from this initiative and leverage their Offices of Research, Innovation and Commercialisation (ORICs) to cultivate a local culture of invention, entrepreneurship, and applied research. He said that his government is vigorously promoting higher education. The province allocates the highest development budget for universities, amounting to Rs35 billion, with an additional Rs8 billion for development portfolios. 'This funding surpasses the combined allocations of the other three provinces and the federal government,' he said. He stressed the importance of universities producing not just graduates, but "innovators, creators, and problem-solvers," and developing platforms for student and faculty engagement with industry. This, he said, will steer universities towards self-sustainability, reducing dependency on government funding. Chairman Sindh HEC Dr Tariq Rafi highlighted this exhibition as the fourth major collaborative initiative between Sindh HEC and FPCCI. Previous efforts included the Sindh Research Support Program and events spotlighting university-based inventions, all aimed at delivering local solutions to local industries and moving universities towards greater self-reliance. Dr Rafi underscored the critical interdependence of industry and academia, stating, "Around the world, the most advanced industrial ecosystems owe their success to the breakthroughs, insights, and talent emerging from their universities." Chairman CIEC, Sindh HEC, Dr Sarosh Lodhi envisioned a future where ORICs function as "active launch pads for ideas" and encouraged more institutions to host local innovation showcases and campus-industry dialogues. President FPCCI Atif Shaikh also spoke. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Business Recorder
5 days ago
- Business
- Business Recorder
FPCCI praises Sindh Innovative Startups Exhibition 2025
KARACHI: Atif Ikram Sheikh, President FPCCI, has apprised that Syed Murad Ali Shah, CM Sindh, inaugurated the Sindh Innovative Startups Exhibition 2025 at Federation House, Karachi – aimed at promoting indigenous business ideas; industry-academia linkages; emerging technologies; import substitution solutions; technologically-driven business & economic development and ecosystem of tech entrepreneurship in the country. He elaborated that, at FPCCI, we believe that the future of Pakistan's economy lies in innovation, entrepreneurship and knowledge-based collaboration. The time has come for industry to open its doors to academia not just as a partner; but, as a driver of future growth and competitiveness. FPCCI Chief also acknowledged the tireless efforts of Prof. Dr. Tariq Rafi, Chairman Sindh HEC, for pushing the boundaries of academic impact beyond the classroom and into the economy and Ms. Maheen Salman, Convener of FPCCI's Central Standing Committee on Higher Education, Science & Technology, for envisioning and executing the exhibition with clarity, energy and purpose. Syed Murad Ali Shah, CM Sindh, reiterated his government's support for universities and their R&D initiatives as it is the only sustainable way forward for creating a robust economic environment in Sindh through capitalizing the potential of youth in a constructive and productive manner. He highlighted that Sindh allocates the most funds for the universities among all provinces. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Business Recorder
26-05-2025
- Business
- Business Recorder
FPCCI seeks implementation of power tariff relief
PESHAWAR: Coordinator of Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Region has urged the prime minister to materialize his commitment of reducing the electricity tariff by Rs 7 per unit. He also demanded to end the severe and unjust load-shedding in Swat, which he said has crippled both daily life and economic activity in the region. In a statement issued from the FPCCI regional office in Peshawar on Sunday, Akbar Khan expressed deep disappointment over the lack of implementation of the relief in electricity tariff announced by the prime minister. 'The PM had declared a Rs7 per unit reduction in electricity rates, but this promise remains unfulfilled, leading to frustration and disillusionment among the business community,' he said. FPCCI urges govt to draft 10-year industrial policy He criticized the government for spending millions on advertisements promoting the announcement, while no concrete steps have been taken since. He further stated that authorities have also failed to curb electricity theft effectively. 'On one hand, we are battling the high cost of electricity, and on the other, rising petrol prices are adding to the public' suffering. There has been no relief at all,' he said. Akbar Khan urged the government to abolish the slab system in billing and end the provision of free electricity units, arguing that such policies unfairly burden paying consumers. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Business Recorder
26-05-2025
- Business
- Business Recorder
FPCCI extends tenure of officebearers by a year
KARACHI: Executive Committee and general body of the Federation of Pakistan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) have passed unanimous resolution to extend the tenure of current office bearers by one year. FPCCI held its Executive Committee and Extra Ordinary General Body Meeting l simultaneously at Capital Office (Chair), Head Office Karachi and Regional Office Lahore, Peshawar and Quetta. The meeting was chaired by Atif Ikram Sheikh, President FPCCI & ECO-CCI and Vice President CACCI and attended by Executive Committee and General Body Members of FPCCI and other leading businessmen and industrialist. Tax ordinance will be reviewed, SAPM tells FPCCI The house passed the audited accounts of FPCCI for the year 2024 and unanimously appreciated the performance President FPCCI and national and international level for facilitating the business community and resolving their issues. During the recent past months, the FPCCI organized its delegation to UK, Bangladesh, Turkiye, Singapore, Belarus, Saudi Arabia etc and successfully held meetings at different multilateral forums like CACCI, Islamic Chamber of Commerce and Development, D-8 Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Commonwealth Trade and Investment Summit etc. FPCCI first time in history organized Sustainable Tourism Forum with the collaboration of OIC for promoting tourism potentials and highlighting soft image of Pakistan and hosted 50 members delegation of ASEAN countries. The house also lauded launch pad initiative of FPCCI that will support new start ups and innovative ideas of universities. The President FPCCI also apprised the house about their meetings with Prime Minister of Pakistan and other important organizations regarding forthcoming budget including taxation and tariff related issues. During the meeting, the house expressed their full confidence on President FPCCI and affirmed their commitment to providing their full support and cooperation in enhancing performance of FPCCI. The house also commended the efforts of President FPCCI for the approval of Trade Organization Amendment Bill, 2025 that will allow two years tenure of Office Bearers of Trade Bodies with a view to continue their policies and achievement of goals and targets. The house also unanimously passed the resolution in the Executive Committee and Extra Ordinary General Body Meeting of FPCCI that allow the Office Bearers of FPCCI to extend and continue their tenure/ services in the year 2026 in order to align the tenure of FPCCI with the tenure of other trade bodies. The house believed that the alignment of FPCCI elections with trade bodies will facilitate the smooth operations in policy advocacy, trade diplomacy and removal of trade bottleneck. This will also help in policies continuity and representation of business interest at national and international level. The resolution was presented by FPCCI Vice President Qurat-ul-Ain, who explained that if the FPCCI elections are not extended by one year, the election timelines of chambers across the country and the federation will fall out of sync, creating persistent problems in every election cycle. She further pointed out that an anomaly still exists in the National Assembly: while the terms for chambers and trade organizations have been set at two years, there has been silence regarding the federation's term. Regulation emphasized that if the National Assembly and the Cabinet approve the one-year extension for FPCCI elections, the matter will be permanently aligned. The meeting was attended by members from across the federation and all four provinces, including UBG's Patron-in-Chief S.M. Tanveer. The gathering also strongly appreciated the recent successes of the Pakistan Armed Forces against India and praised the political leadership. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
