LCCI team meets Shaukat today

A 32-member delegation of Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) would meet Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz at the Governor's House on Wednesday.
Sources disclosed this here on Tuesday. According to them, LCCI president Shahid Hassan Sheikh would lead the delegation, which would also include LCCI senior vice president Yaqoob Tahir Izhar, LCCI vice president Mubasher Sheikh, and former LCCI presidents Mian Shafqat, Mian Misbah-ur-Rahman and Mian Anjum Nisar.
Sources said that this would be the first meeting of the new LCCI body with the Prime Minister, in which various issues pertaining to national development would be discussed.
"In the meeting with the PM, the newly elected LCCI president would discuss matters pertaining to regional trade and regional organisations. Shahid Hassan Sheikh lays heavy emphasis on regional trade, which he is beneficial for the country and the region as a whole and could expedite economic growth," they added.
According to the sources, in the agenda, matters of international trade and business environment would also come under discussion, especially its impact on Pakistan in the backdrop of World Trade Organisation (WTO). Moreover, issues on national development would also be part of the discussion.
They averred that the LCCI delegation would reiterate the concerns of the business community on increasing costs of doing business, especially electricity and high interest rate. They said that high input cost has been a great concern among the business community that it needs to be redressed to make local industry competitive in the international market.
This very argument would be put forth before PM Shaukat Aziz by the new body and former LCCI presidents with the hope of receiving a positive response, the sources added.
"The LCCI delegation has included development and improvement of national infrastructure in the agenda, especially improvement in railway. They were of the view that railway could serve best for the business community for transportation of their goods," the sources added.
They disclosed that the LCCI president would discuss matters on water and energy requirements of the country. He would lay emphasis on the construction of big dams with the PM, which, in his view would meet the water requirements of the agriculture sector and at the same time produce surplus and cheap electricity, which was the dire need of Pakistan, they added.
"On a number of occasions, the LCCI has aired their concerns on deteriorating law and order situation in the country. During the meeting, they would take up the matter with the PM and would stress for its improvement, which was having a negative impact on the business environment," they added.