Hold next PSL here too
Sir,
Pakistan has beaten terrorism with the arrival of international players at National Stadium Karachi after nine years for the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 3 final. It was a celebration.
The entire city was readied, garbage was cleaned and roads were decorated. Large screens were set up for people to watch the match.
This time again Islamabad United reclaimed the PSL title, by beating Peshawar Zalmi.
Credit must be given to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), the Sindh government, the intelligence agencies, rangers and police for providing security. The CM made it possible.
The entire staff of National Stadium, the PCB, and local government and all those who worked day and night to ensure the PSL final take place, deserve a round of applause.
I request the PCB hold the next PSL at home and give other city teams, including Hyderabad, Sukkur, Faisalabad and Gilgit, to show off their talent.
Shahid Ahmed Qureshi,
Badin.
Boosting Exports
Sir,
Depreciating the value of the Pakistan rupee against the U.S. dollar may be necessary, but not enough to boost our exports. While the move may increase international demand for our goods by making prices competitive, how will our production rise to meet demand without a regular supply of electricity, gas, water and other essentials?
What our government must do to make a successful strategy to export manufactured goods is to offer a coordinated package of incentives to make exporting a profitable venture. To start with, select only a limited number (2 or 3) of export processing zones to be furnished with first-class infrastructure, guaranteeing the essential facilities.
The number of these zones can be increased. Declare these zones to be tax exempt, the justification for which would be that in practical terms the world outside Pakistan is already exempt from Pakistani taxes.
Any attempt to tax the outside world would be an exercise in futility as this would enhance the prices of Pakistan’s exports, render them uncompetitive and thus rejected. So the Government of Pakistan will not be losing anything that they are already enjoying.
Recognise too that diverting the refund of customs duty paid on raw materials and supplies used in exported goods to preferably contain Pakistan’s fiscal deficit only deprives exporters of working capital and kills the goose that lays the golden eggs.
To eliminate leakages, the government will need to make sure that investors in the export processing zones have no access to the Pakistan domestic market and all production is for export only. When these essential steps have been taken, only then will the devalued rupee work its magic.
K. Hussain,
Karachi.
Shah Faisal park
Sir,
I want to draw the attention of the authorities towards the maintenance of parks in Shah Faisal Colony. These are places which act as lungs, where residents come to refresh their tired minds. But in our colony, the park is not maintained at all. The people from a basti nearby use it as a public toilet. Rowdy men sit there. Others gamble there in broad daylight. The park has become a haunt for stray cats and dogs.
I hope the authorities will do something.
Aiman Fatimah,
Karachi.
National Incubation Center
Sir,
State Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunication Anusha Rehman has launched a National Incubation Centers under a public-private partnership of the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecom, Ignite (formerly the National ICT R&D Fund), Jazz and Teamup.
NIC provides a free workspace, networking, funding, mentorship, digital platforms and startup curriculum to young people. For the last two years, NIC Islamabad has incubated many startups and now it is spreading to Lahore and Peshawar.
Umer Farooq,
Gujjar Khan.