The Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry on Wednesday congratulated Nawaz Sharif for becoming Prime Minister of Pakistan for the third time and welcomed his pledge to build a Roshan Pakistan through good governance, elimination of corruption and on-merit appointments in Public Sector entities.
The LCCI office bearers; President Farooq Iftikhar, Senior Vice President Irfan Iqbal Sheikh and Vice President Mian Abuzar, in a statement issued here after the first address of Prime Minister Pakistan to the 41st National Assembly of the country, said that the business community would extend all possible co-operation to the Prime Minister in implementation of his vision.
"There was a dire need for a visionary leader like him as the country at this point in time was faced with multifaceted challenges including energy shortage and law and order." They said that the Prime Minister's resolve to purge the country of corruption and initiate accountability of the dishonest would go a long way in raising the stature of the country. They said that the menace of corruption had crept deep into the every tier of the society and it needs to be dealt with an iron hand in the larger interests of the country and its people. They also welcomed the Prime Minister decision to build an international standard Free Port at Gawadar and said that it would not only be of great benefit to the business community but would also further strengthen Pakistan's relations with neighbouring countries. They said that plan to build railway track from Gawadar to Kashgar would further cement ties between Pakistan and China.
Meanwhile, Pakistan Industrial and Traders Associations Front (PIAF) also congratulated Nawaz Sharif for winning Prime Minister's slot for the third time and expressed the hope that the country would witness revival of economic activities very soon. The association's office bearers Acting Chairman Khamis Saeed Butt, former Chairmen Mian Anjum Nisar, Mian Shafqat Ali, Sheikh Muhammad Arshad, Muhammad Ali Mian, Mian Abuzar Shad, Irfan Qaiser Sheikh and Engineer Sohail Lashari said that Nawaz Sharif's historic win has not only raised the stature of the country but would also give boost to the economic activities.
They said that the business community believes and trust that Nawaz Sharif would introduce new economic policies in consultation with the private sector that is that main stake holder as far as economy of the country is concerned. The PIAF leaders said that although there is no quick-fix to the energy shortage but once the new government stops leakages and overcome governance issues, it would be able to curtail power cuts by at least 30 per cent. They said that the cut in load shedding would not only bring down the graph of unemployment but it would also help improve law and order situation in the parts of country.
While assuring their all out support, they said that Nawaz Sharif has made history and his victory was celebrated all over the world and restored the confidence of the businessmen. They expressed the optimism that foreign investment would increase while country's economic relations with the outer world in general and the neighbouring countries in particular would further strengthen.