PESHAWAR: The Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry has demanded of the federal government to pay Khyber Pakhtunkhwa pending funds in electricity and gas royalty to help it overcome financial crunch. Chamber president Fazal Moqeem Khan made the demand while speaking to a 31-member delegation of mid-career management training officers from Kashmir Institute of Management, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, at the chamber house here on Friday. He said the policymakers should frame and enforce policies in consultation with trade chambers for sustainable economic development of the country. Mr Moqeem said the release of pending funds to the province would help revive economic, trade activities and generate employment opportunities. SCCI senior vice-president Abdul Jalil Jan, former presidents Fuad Ishaq, Faiz Mohammad Faizi and Ihsanullah, Ishtiaq Ahmad Paracha, Saddar Gul, Faiz Rasool, the chamber’s secretary general Muqtasid Ahsan and others were also present. “As Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is the frontline province in the war against terrorism, its business community has faced enormous difficulties,” he said. Mr Moqeem pointed out that the province was producing 500mcfd (million cubic feet per day) of gas against its only 200mcfd consumption. He demanded the establishment of an oil refinery in KP given its oil production capacity. Mr Moqeem urged the relevant authorities to remove hurdles in the way of bilateral and transit trade with Afghanistan to enhance trade volume between the two countries. He said KP business community was already facing severe difficulties, and now KP government had added to their problems by imposing two per cent Infrastructure Development Cess on exports, and demanded its abolition. The chamber president mentioned the flight of capital and brain drain from KP due to poor law and order situation.