All leading trade and industrial associations, including Pakistan Industrial and Traders Association Front (PIAF), have strongly condemned registration of an FIR against LCCI President Irfan Qaiser, Senior Vice President Kashif Younis, former chairman of Pakistan Poultry Association, and others who were peacefully demonstrating against gas closure to the industry.
Demanding withdrawal of the unjustified and baseless FIR against business community leaders in Punjab, Chairman of PIAF Sohail Lashari, Chairman of Lahore Township Industries Association Iftikhar Bashir, former chairman Haroon Shafiq, Chairman of Pakistan Auto-parts Manufacturers and Exporters Association Tahir Javed, Patron of Ferozepur Road Industrial Association Adnan Butt, President Mirza Shahid Baig, Chairman of Kahna Kacha Link Road Industrial Association Mahmood Akhtar and leader of Katar Band Road Industrial Area Mahmood Ghaznavi, leaders of Pakistan Poultry Association and Steel Mills Association said the registration of FIR makes the point that the government is least interested in economic activities in the country and wants to turn the country into a trading hub instead of making it a manufacturing place.
They said that the groundless policies of the present regime were pushing the country towards devastation. They said that industry of Punjab was on the verge of collapse due to discrimination in gas supply with Punjab. It is not the industry of Punjab alone that is suffering badly but it is the entire economy is in bad shape.
They said that owing to faulty policies of the government, the sufferings of the business community were multiplying with every passing day and they were unable to cope with day-to-day challenges. They said that business community of Punjab is patriotic and has always supplemented the government's efforts in case of any catastrophe, but the government has disappointed the business community and preferred its political interests.
Expressing their solidarity with all chambers of commerce & industry in Punjab, business community said that police department should be ordered to withdraw the FIR against the presidents of all chambers in Punjab immediately, otherwise millions of industrialists and traders would stage protests against sheer injustice and any aggression by police department against the business community.