MIKE BAXTER

Karachi has six industrial Town Associations, viz., SITE, Korangi, Landhi, Federal ‘B’ Area, North Karachi, and Gharo. It is a fact that SITE is the oldest, the largest, and the biggest revenue provider. It is also a fact that SITE is the mother of all industrial estates. It is also a fact that SITE Association of Industry is accepted as the Voice of Industry.

Nowadays, the hierarchy of Korangi Trade & Industry Association has been vociferously chest-beating their claim that the Korangi Industrial Estate is the largest, biggest, best, and greatest.

Recently, at a meeting at SITE, where the CBR Member (Sales Tax) was the Chief Guest, the Chairman of SITE, Tariq Yousuf, invited the Korangi Chairman, Mr. Yayha, to address the gathering. The first thing that Mr. Yahya did was to "correct" his host that Korangi, rather than SITE, was the largest. Playing the perfect host, Tariq allowed Yahya to take credit, although it did leave a bad taste in the mouth of SITE industrialists. Especially when a government functionary was present.

At the APTMA dinner on June 06, 1996, the Prime Minister, talking about the cellular phones, said that the government might consider resuming the services on a limited basis if certain Associations gave a guarantee. She named the Associations in the following order: SITE Association, APTMA, FPCCI, and the Memon community. Even the Premier deemed it fit to cite SITE as numero uno!

It should be further noted that SITE is the only Town Association which played host to the President and the Prime Minister. It is only SITE where foreign delegations pay a visit. It is only SITE which is widely represented on most of the committees and bodies. When no one can do it SITE can!

Yours etc:

MIKE BAXTER