The Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) has called on the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government to develop a 10-year industrial policy and introduce special incentives to boost trade and business growth in the province. The SCCI leadership emphasized the need for government intervention to resolve issues faced by the trading community, many of which are linked to federal departments. The chamber also highlighted the importance of including relevant business representatives in various boards of provincial government departments.
Delegation Meeting at SCCI House
Junaid Altaf, President of SCCI, made these remarks during a meeting with a delegation of provincial ministers led by former National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser at the chamber house. The delegation included Provincial Ministers Mina Khan Afridi, Faisal Tarakai, and Aqiullah, as well as former City Nazim Zahid Nadeem. SCCI Vice Presidents Muhammad Nadeem and Sabir Bangash, former FPCCI President Ghazanfar Bilour, former chamber presidents, SCCI executive committee members, WCCIP President Qurtul Ain, and other traders and industrialists were also present.
Call for Public-Private Partnership
Ms Sadaf Khalid, Director of Silk Road Enterprises and Global Coordinator UK for the Silk Route Festival, joined the meeting via video link from London. She urged KP businessmen to participate in the upcoming Silk Festival 2026 in Islamabad. Junaid Altaf stressed the need for a public-private partnership, noting that KP has vast potential to attract investment in various sectors. He added that KP businessmen face numerous challenges and issues, and the chamber plans to hold a grand consultation session on the economic growth of KP in the provincial assembly.
Challenges and Border Issues
Altaf noted that KP businessmen have suffered due to certain policies of the central and provincial governments and the prolonged closure of borders. He called trade routes a lifeline for the trading community. Asad Qaiser assured the chamber leadership that he would take up these issues with both the provincial and central governments, promising to arrange a meeting with Chief Minister Sohail Afridi and the SCCI delegation. He emphasized the crucial role of the KP business community in the country's economic development and pledged to remove all obstacles to business and trade growth.
Taxation and Level Playing Field
Qaiser stated that KP has suffered for the last four decades, and its people and business community have made matchless sacrifices, so they must be facilitated at all levels. He criticized the federal government for imposing taxes on the ex-FATA region, arguing that business and industrial growth have already slowed in KP and its merged districts, making it illogical to impose taxes there. He called for a level playing field and equal opportunities for business and industrial growth, emphasizing proactive steps to make the dry port fully functional. Qaiser also called for dialogue to resolve the Pak-Afghan conflict and resume trade with Afghanistan and Central Asian countries. He announced a grand Jirga on border issues and constitutional rights to be held on July 19.
