Shift foreign firms from industrial parks, govt urged

KABUL): The Industrialists Association on Wednesday asked the government to shift foreign logistics firms from industrial parks in Kabul.

Several industrialists told a joint press conference they were concerned about the presence of foreign logistics firms near their industries. They said insurgent attacks on foreign firms had a devastating effect on their business.

The call came a day after three Indians, a British and four Nepalese citizens were killed in a truck bombing that ripped through a private logistics firm’s office near the industrial park in the Surkh Pul area of Kabul.

At least two Afghan civilians were among those killed in the attack, followed by gunfire, the latest in a series of brazen insurgent strikes in the high-security capital.

Eng. Abdul Rahman, who owns a plastic making factory named “Ittehad Afghan” told the press conference that the truck bombing had inflicted huge financial losses on nearby industries.

He asked the government to adopt necessary measures at preventing such attacks in future and shift foreign logistic supplying firms away from local industries.

He said Tuesday’s attack had spread a great panic among factory workers. “Most workers, particularly technicians, quit jobs after the attack. They witnessed how much the attack damaged nearby factories,” the industrialist said. He said they felt insecure and had no hope the workers who left jobs would return.

First Vice-President of Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Industries, Khan Jan Alokozai, also asked the government to take measures at pulling out logistics supplying firms from industrial parks.

He alleged some individuals had purchased land at industrial parks in the name of establishing factories, but they had leased out the land to foreign firms, who used the facility as warehouses for military equipment.

Alokozai said Tuesday’s attack was the third of its kind over the past one year targeting foreign firms in industrial areas.

He said a local firm called “Tabassum” incurred losses worth $200,000 as a result of the attack that also damaged Bakhtar Flour and Super Biscuit Manufacturers.

The trader representative said the departments concerned had been repeatedly requested to shift foreign firms from industrial parks, but nothing had happened so far.

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