Daily Times

Witnessing a significant boom in printing and advertising business in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the 2024 general election brought a smile to the faces of printers, advertisers, and publishers after receiving substantial orders from contesting candidates and political parties working till late at night to fulfill the placed orders.

The printers and advertisers of Mohallah Jahnagi, a hub of printing, advertisements, and designing business located at the backside of historic Qissa Khwani bazaar, received heavy orders from thousands of candidates and religio-political parties ahead of the 2024 general election and were making handsome profits.

Attracting substantial printing and advertising orders from political parties and independent candidates regarding preparations of political party flags, posters, advertisements, graphics designing, promotional cards, billboards, and pana-flex, Ali Khan, who has associated with the printing and advertising business since 2014, said, “the response of election candidates especially of their supporters was overwhelming in KP where all printers received orders from Rs 5lakh up Rs 3 million.”

“I have engaged six extra laborers, who worked till late at night to meet demands of printing materials of the ticket holders and independent candidates by January 15, 2024,” he said, adding the printers and advertisers of Peshawar also received heavy orders from merged tribal districts and Attock district of Punjab province.

Ali said the closure of Charsadda and Mardan paper mills has negatively impacted the printing business in Peshawar, where prices of finished goods have significantly increased due to the transportation of election-related papers from Punjab and electricity costs.

“Printing is a pain-sticking business. The printers and advertisers are sometimes overworked like presently in election days and often short of orders suffered financial losses during COVID-19 pandemic at Peshawar where approximately 40,000 people including 3,000 printers, publishers and graphic designers are directly or indirectly associated with it.”

He claimed that printers and publishers with quality printing machines and skilled laborers received heavy orders to Rs five million and more profit as the election came nearer.

Zafar Khan Khattak, President of All Printers and Publishers Association KP, told APP that Peshawar-based printers and publishers started earning significant profits in posters, designing, advertisements, and party flags.

He said substantial printing orders of posters were received from candidates of merged tribal districts, including South Waziristan, North Waziristan, Orakzai, Kurrum, Khyber, Mohmand, and Bajaur.

Anees Khattak said KP was geographically placed in a relatively disadvantageous location in terms of its long distance from Karachi seaport, and the KP exporters have to pay an extra amount compared to Punjab and Sindh provinces to transport raw election-related materials here.

“Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s printers have pinned high hopes from Special Economic Zones (SEZ) Rashakai being built under China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and Economic Zones where the establishment of printers, advertisers and papers units would not only open up new vistas of investment and employment opportunities but help bolster trade volume among Pakistan, Central Asian States (CARs) and Afghanistan.”

He said Afghanistan and CARs were our main export markets with great potential to increase bilateral trade volume. Pakistani printing and paper materials were preferred for preparing text, Islamic literature, and books due to their better quality, standards, durability, and cost-efficiency.

Khattak said the printing industry could further flourish in Peshawar if we have the required expertise, quality workforce, and a mechanism to control prices of papers and inflation for printing materials besides government patronage needed to help the COVID-19-affected printers.

“Peshawar’s printers and publishers mostly go to Lahore to repair major technical faults once developed in their machines, as most local mechanics lack expertise and thus face financial problems.”

He said it is a very costly practice, and sometimes we have to pay up to 50,000 to Rs one lakh for its repair and maintenance, including payment of transport charges; adding 3D printing and paper business would further shine once the general election comes closer. He said priorities might be given to young entrepreneurs, printers, and advertisers to promote the printing and paper industries besides advertisements as a profession with great scope in employment generation for youth.

“In developed countries, the political leaders come in a selected arena where they present election programs through TV, Radio, and social media platforms rather than consuming taxpayers’ money on printing materials,'” said Manzoorul Haq, former ambassador of Pakistan, while talking to APP.

He said electioneering was about going to space in the country, especially in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and advised political stalwarts that, given harsh weather, they conclude their functions before Magrib prayer.

Manzoor said the maximum utilization of TV, Radio, and social media platforms would help save candidates time and money besides election-related expenses.