On Sunday, traders and analysts urged the party’s leadership to reconsider PTI’s call to protest ahead of the highly anticipated Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) moot on October 15.
The PTI has called for party leaders and workers to gather in Islamabad on October 15 and announced the suspension of its protests in Punjab. The party has also demanded that party leaders and members of the party’s family have immediate access to Imran Khan, the party’s founder, who is being held in Adiala Jail.
Due to security concerns regarding the high-profile SCO summit, the government previously prohibited visits to Adiala Jail inmates until October 18.
Analysts criticized the PTI’s protest call at the SCO Summit as “self-destructive” in an interview with state-owned PTV, citing concerns about economic instability and harm to Pakistan’s global image.
The Islamabad business community emphasized that the SCO conference was a significant platform for promoting regional trade and hoped that the PTI would reconsider its decision to protest for the country’s national interest.
“This move will undermine Pakistan’s credibility in the international community,” stated Dr. Noor Fatima, an economist.
“Economic diplomacy, not political posturing, must be our primary focus.”
The summit was described as an “opportunity to strengthen our ties with regional countries” by another analyst, Mirza Ikhtiyar Baig.
He stated, “PTI’s call may compromise our chances of benefiting from this platform.” The SCO meeting is basic for Pakistan’s monetary restoration [and] PTI’s call will just make vulnerability and dissuade unfamiliar financial backers.”
“Not the time for politics”: In the meantime, businesspeople demanded that the PTI back down so that the nation could concentrate on maintaining economic stability. They said that the time was not right for polarizing politics and that the nation should instead concentrate on its economic prowess and expand trade with other nations.
According to a trader in Islamabad, the nation must prioritize its economic interests and “showcase its economic potential, not its political divisions.”
The SCO conference is essential for facilitating regional trade. Another trader in Lahore stated, “PTI’s call may disrupt discussions and impede progress.”
Nevertheless, Muhammad Fahim, president of the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry, stated, “Traders are feeling uncertain as a result of PTI’s call.”
“We are concerned about how it will affect our businesses.”
Additionally, a trader at the Karachi Wholesale Market named Jameel Paracha stated that stability was more important to the economy at this point than politics.
Our businesses cannot afford any more uncertainty, so we urge PTI to reconsider their decision. The contention was made by Khawaja Shahbaz, president of the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
The Islamabad Women’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s president, Ayesha Khurram, stated: Economic expansion must take precedence over political considerations.
