KARACHI: Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI), Anjum Nisar has urged the media to play its role for improving image of Pakistan in the eyes of foreign countries. Speaking at media and business conference 2009 on "Media and Business Joining hands for the Prosperity of Nation" organized by KCCI on Monday, he said that Pakistan producing a number of best quality products, however, fail to fetch good price in international market due to poor perception of Pakistan.

The president said that media, particularly electronic media giving more time to political leaders and political issues then business community and economic issues. He said that nowhere in the world electronic media highlighting incidents of bomb blasts, killing etc in the way Pakistani media were projecting. This was damaging Pakistan's image.

He said that crime rates in developed and developing countries were not less then Pakistan. Nowhere in the world existed ideal conditions, he added. Mujahid Barelvi noted that a number of big banks were collapsed as well as a number of people become bankrupt due to ongoing world economic crises in USA, however, these issues received little media coverage. While in Pakistan, he said some banks faced some crises but it was projected in a big way.

Agha Masood Hassan said that the media was not playing its due role. He said that nobody was able to explain why GDP growth rate had dropped from 7 percent to 2 percent. Where huge foreign reserves had gone, which was left by the previous government.

He said that the country facing serious power crises, but provincial and federal government were fighting on patty issues making no efforts to utilise water resources, coal reserves, wind and solar resources for power generation. Dr Shahid Iqbal Danish advised business community to come forward and take part in general election to grab seats in National and Provincial assemblies.

He said that assemblies were dominated by feudal lords and they do not allow passing any law or imposition of any tax on agriculture sector. They only imposed taxes industrial sector. Bilal Hasan said that Pakistani investors were not interested to make any investment in the country on one pretext or the other.