PFC donates Rs 1 million to PM Special COVID-19 fund
LAHORE: Pakistan Furniture Council (PFC) Chief Executive Mian Kashif Ashfaq Wednesday donated Rs. 1 million to Prime Minister Imran Khan’s special COVID-19 fund and pledged extending maximum cooperation to the government in its endeavours to eradicate coronavirus pandemic across the country. In a statement issued here today, Mian Kashif Ashfaq said furniture producers and exporters are supporting government’s efforts aimed at complete stamping out deadly pandemic from day one. “We have contributed our share in the corona relief fund of Prime Minister Imran Khan and will continue to stand with the government in this hour of difficulty and distress,” he resolved. He urged the philanthropists and affluent people to extend maximum help and assistance to the people striving for their bread and butter in the prevailing situation. Mian Kashif Ashfaq also demanded of the government for resuming trade activities and reopening of shops including furniture outlets across the country by adopting precautionary measures and SOPs. He was of the opinion that people recover from coronavirus and get healthy, but the way the financial condition of the people is getting worst and it is mostly likely that “hunger would emerge” in the country in a short span of time which would ultimately lead to death due to starvation. He pointed out that rented shops and financial hurdles were turning out to be the biggest worries for such businesses and the only option left for them was to resume retail activity at their shops. Mian Kashif added that the bailout package of Rs1.2 trillion announced by Prime Minister Imran Khan may assist large-scale export-oriented sectors but small retailers and shopkeepers especially those associated with furniture industry would reap no benefits as they feared they would not receive even a single penny. He said that the prevailing situation, which was worst of its kind during the last 50 years, had rendered them hapless. On the occasion, Mian Kashif appreciated the Prime Minister, Imran Khan and Chief Minister Punjab, Usman Buzdar. He acknowledged how both the federal and provincial governments are taking every possible step to protect the people. This led him to urge the public to strictly follow the precautionary measures and cooperate with the government in implementing its decisions regarding the prevention of the virus. He believes that the government, general public and the media together could fight the war against Corona effectively.
