By Commerce Reporter
LAHORE, November 5: Chairman Senate Syed Yousaf Raza Gillani has said that the business community will be provided an opportunity to present its views and recommendations before relevant Senate standing committees dealing with Finance, Economics, Commerce and Industry, saying that effective economic policymaking requires meaningful consultation with stakeholders.
He was speaking at the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry. LCCI President Ali Hussam Asghar, Senior Vice President Sardar Usman Ghani, Vice President Chaudhry Khadim Hussain, Member National Assembly Syed Ali Qasim Gillani, former LCCI President Mian Misbah-ur-Rehman and Mian Aziz-ur-Rehman Chan also spoke on the occasion.
The Chairman Senate said that taxation, regulatory challenges, policy discontinuity and the rising cost of doing business were genuine concerns of the business community and must be addressed. He acknowledged Lahore’s historic role as a center of commerce, industry and entrepreneurship, appreciating the contribution of its business community towards employment generation, industrial development and national prosperity.
Highlighting the role of Parliament, particularly the Senate as the House of Federation, he said its legislative and oversight functions provided an institutional platform for examining economic challenges and facilitating constructive engagement between stakeholders and policymakers. He assured that the Senate would play its role in promoting a legislative and policy environment that encouraged business community, protected legitimate business interests and advanced national economic priorities.
Syed Yousaf Raza Gillani encouraged the Lahore Chamber to maintain active and constructive engagement with parliamentary institutions, saying that its practical experience, informed recommendations and sector-specific insights could make a meaningful contribution to legislative deliberations and parliamentary oversight. He said that when businesses prospered, employment opportunities expanded and the country became economically stronger.
LCCI President Ali Hussam Asghar urged him to play an active role in reviewing business-related legislation, addressing regulatory challenges and creating a more business-friendly environment. He also proposed making the LCCI President an ex-officio member of the Senate’s economic standing committees to ensure direct representation of the business community in the legislative process.
The LCCI President said that the Chamber’s primary responsibility was policy advocacy, particularly in the areas of legislation and economic policymaking. However, certain laws had adversely affected the ease and cost of doing business.
He drew the Chairman Senate’s attention to the problems arising from raids, inspections and arrests of businesspeople under various regulatory laws. He said that businesses were facing an environment in which businessmen were increasingly apprehensive about conducting their routine economic and industrial activities. Unnecessary raids, humiliating treatment and arrests without adequate consideration of the circumstances were damaging business confidence.
Ali Hussam Asghar clarified that the business community was not against regulation or enforcement of laws. However, regulations should facilitate improvements rather than become a source of harassment and humiliation. He proposed that violations should, wherever appropriate, be addressed through financial penalties, education and corrective measures instead of immediately resorting to FIRs and arrests.
He informed the Chairman Senate that the Lahore Chamber had undertaken detailed consultations with its legal team and relevant stakeholders to examine the implications of laws relating to the Punjab Enforcement and Regulatory Authority (PERA), the Environmental Protection Agency and the Punjab Food Authority. Following these deliberations, the Chamber had prepared amendments and presented them to the Speaker Punjab Assembly.
The LCCI President requested the Chairman Senate to help establish a mechanism for reviewing business-related legislation at both federal and provincial levels. He further proposed the constitution of a special review committee to examine existing laws and assess their impact on trade and industry.
LCCI Senior Vice President LCCI Sardar Usman Ghani said that the fundamental responsibility of chambers of commerce was to contribute towards the formulation of an effective policy framework. He said that policymaking could not remain balanced if the bureaucracy was heard but the actual stakeholders affected by those policies were not consulted.
He also advocated a district-based economic development strategy, saying that policies formulated centrally in Islamabad could not always address the specific economic realities of different cities and districts. Strengthening city and district governments was essential for promoting local economic activity and addressing region-specific challenges.
LCCI Vice President Chaudhry Khadim Hussain thanked the Chairman Senate for visiting the Lahore Chamber and requested him to play an effective role in highlighting the concerns and proposals presented by the LCCI President and other senior representatives of the business community before the relevant parliamentary forums.
Member National Assembly Syed Ali Qasim Gillani offered his cooperation to the LCCI in matters relating to legislation at the National Assembly level. He cited the amendment to the Trade Organizations Act as an example of his engagement with the business community, explaining that an anomaly had reduced the tenure of office-bearers of 277 chambers and associations from two years to one year. He said that he had introduced the necessary legislation and worked to secure its passage through both the National Assembly and Senate.
Former LCCI President Mian Misbah ur Rehman proposed that LCCI office-bearers and Executive Committee members be given an opportunity to visit the Senate and observe its proceedings. Momin Ali Malik, former Senior Vice President Rehman Aziz Chan, former Vice Presidents Mian Zahid Javed, Haris Atiq, Senior members Sohail Nisar, Amjad Chaudhry and Executive Committee members Mardan Ali Zaidi, Syed Yousaf Jameel, Naila Nadeem, Tariq Mahmood, Muhammad Yaseen, Ali Chaudhry, Muhammad Ali and Dr Shahzad Mahmood and others were also present.
