The business community has welcomed the Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani's gesture of removing all unnecessary barriers in way of economic growth by making the government machinery service-bound and a facilitator rather than a regulator.
Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) Acting President Mian Muzaffar Ali said in a statement issued on Thursday. He said that the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry had always been of the view that the government machinery should play the role of facilitator for the private sector, which is considered an engine of growth.
He said that once all the unnecessary hurdles are removed, the economy of the country would register an unprecedented growth. Mian Muzaffar Ali said that Pakistan is one of the fastest growing economies in Asia having enormous potential for regional trade and intra-regional trade of only six percent did not reflect the potential available in the region.
Calling for concrete and sincere steps to increase regional trade, the LCCI acting president said that it would not only help strengthen bilateral relations, but would also contribute positively towards the regional development. He said it was time to seize the moment to overcome challenges.
"To overcome challenges, let us move from debate and deliberations to concrete actions." He said it was collective responsibility of the business communities in all the South Asian countries to demonstrate the courage, commitment and foresight to transform South Asia into a progressive, peaceful and prosperous region.
"Our progress remains short of our aspirations. South Asia is yet to forge the quality and intensity of regional co-operation, which could match with the revolutionary transformation brought about in the lives of people of many other regions of the world", he said.