The Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCC&I) has announced that all the city markets and business centres will remain closed on Wednesday (today) to mourn the deaths of innocent people martyred in terrorist attacks in Moon Market Lahore and Multan.
The LCCI President Zafar Iqbal Chaudhry and Senior Vice President Ejaz A Mumtaz in a joint statement issued here on Tuesday said that they condemn this barbaric act in strongest possible terms and the decision regarding the closure of businesses was taken in consultation with all the city trade bodies. The LCCI President said that to express solidarity with the business community of Moon Market, LCCI office-bearers and Executive Committee would also visit Moon Market on Wednesday.
The Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry has also convened an emergency meeting of trade bodies at LCCI on Thursday (December 10) at 3:00 pm wherein future strategy to avert such heinous acts of terror would be finalised. The LCCI would also establish a blood camp at LCCI premises on Thursday (December 10) to collect blood for victims of terrorist attacks.
Meanwhile, the LCCI office-bearers and the Convenor LCCI Standing Committee on Law and Order Nasrullah Malik said that special measures are needed to cope with deteriorating law and order situation as anti-social elements are hell-bent to destabilise Pakistan for their ulterior motives.
They said that the sequence of incidents one after the other seems to be the part of a well thought out against Pakistan. While condemning the blast in Lahore in the severest possible terms, the Pakistan Industrial and Traders Associations Front (PIAF) also announced to observe December 8 as Day of Mourning.
The PIAF Chairman Irfan Qaiser Sheikh and Vice Chairman Khawaja Shahzeb Akram said that they were with Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry and fully support their call for closure of businesses for today (Wednesday). They said that government would have to adopt some new strategy to cope with the situation. The PIAF office-bearers also offered Fateh for those who lost their lives.