LAHORE: Chairman of the United Traders & Industrial Front (UTF), former Senior Vice President and former Vice President of the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), and Vision Alliance candidate Nasir Hameed Khan has said the business community needs effective representation, practical solutions and an enabling environment in which trade and industry can grow.
In a detailed interview, Nasir Hameed Khan said his decision to contest the LCCI election was rooted in his longstanding association with Lahore’s traders and industrialists and his previous experience in the chamber’s leadership.
He said the LCCI was not merely a forum for issuing statements but an institution with a responsibility to represent the collective interests of the business community before government departments, regulators and policymakers.
According to him, the challenges confronting businesses have become increasingly complex, requiring sustained engagement rather than temporary responses.
Q: You have already served as Vice President and Senior Vice President of LCCI. Why have you decided to contest the election again?
Nasir Hameed Khan: My association with LCCI and the business community is not new. I have served the chamber as Vice President and Senior Vice President, and throughout this journey I have remained connected with traders and industrialists.
When you work closely with the business community, you understand that its problems are not limited to one sector or one market. Every trader and industrialist has different concerns, but there are also common challenges that require collective representation.
I decided to contest because I believe my experience can be used to serve the business community further. I have worked within the chamber and understand its institutional structure. At the same time, my association with UTF has kept me connected with businessmen at the grassroots level.
The purpose of contesting is service. We want the chamber to remain accessible to its members and to become even more effective in taking their issues to the relevant authorities.
Q: What are you hearing from traders and industrialists during the current election campaign?
Nasir Hameed Khan: The business community is discussing its economic problems very openly. People are concerned about the cost of doing business, taxation, energy prices, regulatory requirements, market conditions and the overall business environment.
What businessmen want is an enabling environment. They want to spend their time running their businesses, expanding investment, creating employment and increasing production rather than dealing with unnecessary administrative difficulties.
We are meeting people from different markets and industrial areas. They are telling us about their problems and expectations from LCCI.
There is a clear demand for a chamber that remains connected with its members throughout the year rather than becoming active only during election season.
Q: What should be the first priority of the next LCCI leadership?
Nasir Hameed Khan: The first priority should be effective representation.
The LCCI has a large membership and represents one of Pakistan’s most important business centres. Such an institution must have a structured mechanism for collecting the problems of members, categorising them and taking them up with the relevant government departments.
Taxation is one important area. Energy costs are another. Regulatory procedures, customs-related matters, municipal issues, infrastructure, access to finance and export-related challenges also require attention.
The chamber should establish clear priorities and regularly inform its members about the progress being made on their issues.
Q: You have mentioned an enabling business environment. What does that mean in practical terms?
Nasir Hameed Khan: An enabling environment means predictability, transparency and facilitation.
A businessman should know the rules under which he is operating. Policies affecting investment and industry should be predictable enough for businesses to make long-term decisions.
If an industrialist is planning a new factory, he needs to calculate energy costs, taxation, regulatory requirements, financing costs and market demand. Frequent uncertainty makes long-term planning difficult.
Similarly, a trader needs efficient procedures and timely services from government departments.
The role of LCCI should be to identify these obstacles and present practical proposals for removing them.
Q: How do you see the role of the LCCI in taxation matters?
Nasir Hameed Khan: Taxation is a sensitive issue because the government needs revenue while businesses need a system that encourages formal economic activity.
Our position should not simply be that businesses should pay less tax. The more important question is whether the taxation system is broad-based, predictable, transparent and easy to comply with.
The chamber should engage with policymakers on tax reforms and explain the practical consequences of proposed measures.
There should also be greater consultation with the business community before major changes affecting businesses are introduced.
When businessmen understand the policy and believe that the system is fair and predictable, compliance can improve.
Q: Energy costs remain a major concern for industrialists. What can LCCI do?
Nasir Hameed Khan: Energy is one of the most important components of industrial production. If energy costs become too high, the competitiveness of local industries can be affected.
LCCI should provide policymakers with sector-specific data showing how energy costs affect different industries.
The chamber should also advocate for policies that improve efficiency, encourage alternative energy solutions and reduce unnecessary costs across the production chain.
We should not look at energy merely as an expense. Reliable and affordable energy is an essential part of industrial policy.
Q: What is your view about the challenges faced by SMEs?
Nasir Hameed Khan: SMEs deserve particular attention because they provide employment and form a substantial part of the business ecosystem.
A small business may not have the resources of a large industrial group. A complicated regulatory procedure or delayed payment can have a much greater impact on a small enterprise.
LCCI should create stronger mechanisms for hearing SME concerns.
We also need easier access to financing, business development support, digitalisation, skills training and opportunities to enter larger supply chains.
If small businesses grow, they can become larger employers, taxpayers and exporters.
Q: How can LCCI contribute to export growth?
Nasir Hameed Khan: Export promotion must be a major component of the chamber’s agenda.
We need to help businesses understand international markets, standards, consumer preferences and regulatory requirements.
LCCI can facilitate business-to-business contacts, trade delegations and interaction with foreign chambers and commercial organisations.
But export growth also depends on domestic competitiveness. If our production costs are high or regulatory processes are inefficient, exporters face difficulties competing internationally.
Therefore, export policy cannot be separated from industrial policy, energy policy, taxation and logistics.
Q: What is your vision for Lahore’s industrial sector?
Nasir Hameed Khan: Lahore has a diverse industrial base and a large entrepreneurial community. Its potential is much greater than what we are currently seeing.
We need to encourage investment in modern technology, value addition, skills development and efficient production.
The industrial sector also needs better infrastructure and coordination among government agencies.
The chamber can play a role by bringing industrialists, policymakers, financial institutions and technical experts together.
Our objective should be to create an ecosystem in which existing industries can expand and new investment can come into the market.
Q: How important is government-business coordination?
Nasir Hameed Khan: It is essential.
The private sector and government have different responsibilities, but they share an interest in economic growth.
Government makes policies and provides the regulatory framework, while businesses create investment, employment and economic activity.
The chamber can act as an institutional bridge between the two.
However, dialogue should be continuous. We should not wait for a crisis before approaching a government department.
LCCI should maintain regular working relationships with ministries, departments and regulatory authorities and present documented proposals.
Q: What role should LCCI play in resolving individual businessmen’s problems?
Nasir Hameed Khan: The chamber cannot replace government departments or courts, but it can certainly provide guidance and facilitate communication.
A member who faces a genuine administrative problem should know where to go and how the chamber can assist.
We need an efficient complaint and follow-up mechanism. Once a problem is registered, it should be assigned to the relevant committee or official and followed through.
Members should also be able to see whether their issue has been taken up and what response has been received.
This will increase transparency and confidence in the institution.
Q: Some businessmen believe that chamber elections have become too focused on groups and personalities. What is your view?
Nasir Hameed Khan: Groups and alliances are part of the democratic process within trade bodies, but the ultimate focus should remain on the business community.
Personal differences should not become more important than economic issues.
The business community is mature. Traders and industrialists understand their interests and can evaluate candidates according to their experience, commitment and understanding of business problems.
I believe the election should be about ideas, performance and service.
Q: What does Vision Alliance offer to the business community?
Nasir Hameed Khan: Vision Alliance is presenting an agenda focused on representation, facilitation and economic activity.
Our emphasis is on issues that affect businesses directly.
We want to strengthen the connection between LCCI and its members, improve engagement with government institutions and develop practical proposals on taxation, energy, industry, trade and exports.
For us, an election commitment should translate into an institutional plan.
The business community should be able to ask what was promised, what was done and what remains to be achieved.
Q: What is the importance of your role as chairman of UTF in this election?
Nasir Hameed Khan: UTF has provided me with an opportunity to remain closely connected with traders and industrialists.
Through this platform, I have interacted with businessmen from different sectors and heard their concerns directly.
That grassroots connection is important because the chamber should not only hear the voices of large businesses. It should understand the problems of traders, manufacturers, wholesalers, exporters, SMEs and other members of the business community.
My experience at LCCI and my association with UTF complement each other.
Q: What changes would you like to see in the way LCCI communicates with its members?
Nasir Hameed Khan: Communication needs to become more systematic.
Members should receive regular updates about major policy developments, government consultations, chamber initiatives and the status of important issues.
We are living in a digital age. The chamber can use digital platforms to obtain feedback from members and communicate with them more efficiently.
A member should not have to wait for an annual meeting to raise a concern.
Q: How can LCCI help attract investment?
Nasir Hameed Khan: Investment requires confidence.
Investors look at market opportunities, taxation, energy, regulations, infrastructure, financing and policy continuity.
LCCI can contribute by highlighting investment opportunities in Lahore and Punjab, facilitating contacts between investors and businesses and presenting proposals to improve the investment environment.
We should also encourage existing businessmen to reinvest and expand.
A strong local business base itself can attract further investment.
Q: What about employment generation?
Nasir Hameed Khan: Employment is directly connected with business growth.
When industries expand, they create jobs. When SMEs grow, they employ more people. When exports increase, production and related services also expand.
Therefore, policies that make businesses more competitive ultimately contribute to employment.
LCCI should keep employment and economic expansion in mind while discussing policy with government institutions.
Q: What should be done to encourage young entrepreneurs?
Nasir Hameed Khan: Young entrepreneurs need mentorship, financing, training and market access.
Many young people have ideas but lack the networks and resources needed to turn those ideas into sustainable businesses.
LCCI can organise mentorship programmes, entrepreneurship sessions and business networking opportunities.
The chamber can also connect young entrepreneurs with established businessmen who can guide them.
Q: What is your message to the voters in the LCCI election?
Nasir Hameed Khan: I would request every voter to participate in the election and make an informed decision based on the candidates’ experience, programmes and commitment to the business community.
I have served LCCI as Vice President and Senior Vice President. I have remained associated with traders and industrialists and continue to work through UTF.
I am contesting because I want to continue serving the business community.
The chamber is a collective institution. Whoever is elected has a responsibility toward every member, regardless of group or alliance.
Q: Finally, what do you want to achieve if elected?
Nasir Hameed Khan: My objective is straightforward: effective representation and service.
I want to see an LCCI that is accessible to its members, active on economic issues and engaged with government institutions.
We need practical work on taxation, energy, industrial growth, SMEs, exports, investment and business facilitation.
The business community does not need empty promises. It needs structured plans, follow-up and measurable progress.
I have experience inside LCCI and longstanding relationships with businessmen across Lahore. I want to use that experience for the benefit of the wider business community.
The coming period will be important for trade and industry. Our chamber must be prepared to respond to these challenges and ensure that the voice of the business community is heard at every relevant forum.
Summary: Former LCCI SVP and VP Nasir Hameed Khan, chairman of UTF and Vision Alliance candidate, outlines his priorities for business facilitation, taxation, energy, SMEs, exports, investment and stronger LCCI representation.
