Our Correspondent
PESHAWAR
Leader of the Businessman Forum, former senator Ilyas Ahmad Bilour has expressed concern over discriminatory attitude of the commercial banks with exporters and importers, alleging that the banks are not facilitating the business community. In a statement issued here on Thursday, the business community leader said that the commercial banks across the country have accepted receiving cash from importers and exporters till 5 PM.
In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, he said all the commercial banks have denied to receive cash from exporters and importers after 3 PM, which was not only open violation of rules and regulations of State Bank of Pakistan but it also weakness of the central bank that the commercial banks didn’t adhering with the rules and regulations of the SBP.
The former senator said the KP has already been declared as a ‘red zone’ by the commercial banks because of which, he added, the banks have improved its deposits but the lending is very poor in the province. He informed that the matter was raised up before the central bank on many occasions, but no progress was made in this regard.
Now, he said the commercial banks are openly violating rules and regulations of the State Bank of Pakistan. He alleged all banks have received cash from importers and exporters till 5 PM in other parts of the country, but in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the banks didn’t accept importers and exporters cash after 3 PM.
Ilyas Bilour said that the discrimination with KP was unacceptable to them. He urged the Governor State Bank of Pakistan, Reza Baqir to immediately issue instructions to all commercial banks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to receive cash from exporters and importers till PM 5, asking for suspension of license of the commercial banks, which were denying to deposit cash after 3 PM.
Otherwise, he warned that the business community will take stern action against the discriminatory attitude of the commercial banks.
