LAHORE: Progressive Group in the Lahore Chamber of Commerce & Industry has extended its full support to the announcement by all the chambers of the country to boycott the general elections if political parties fail to sign a charter of the economy at the earliest.

The consensus between the chambers was reached at the International Chambers Summit 2023 organized by the Rawalpindi Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The Summit was attended by the 54 presidents of the Chambers of Commerce and Industry in the country.

Representatives of the business and industries at this summit had stressed the need for such a charter of the economy and termed it the dire need of the hour. They declared that if all the political parties do not sign the charter of the economy before the elections, the business community, which is also an economic party, will boycott the general elections.

Progressive Group’s President Khalid Usman, Arshad Chaudhry, Abdul Wadood Alvi, Muhammad Ejaz Tanveer and others said that the present time demands that all the political parties should rise above the political interests and work together for the betterment of the national economy.

They said only joint efforts by all the stakeholders especially political parties can bring the country out of the present economic predicament. They welcomed the government plan of waiving off the penalties on the large number of containers stuck at the ports but said the actual need is to clear the imported items at the earliest and avoid shortage of different items especially food items in the country.

They emphasized the political stability in the country which has been hampering the growth and said that it is necessary for economic stability. They said that all the political parties will have to play their role for the economic sustainability of the country.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023