Daily Times

Punjab’s Minister for Industries and Commerce, S.M. Tanveer, said on Saturday that the government is working hard and pursuing reforms in various sectors, due to which the economy is now showing some signs of revival, and vowed that all possible efforts would be made to put Pakistan on track for sustainable growth.

He said that a business facilitation centre has been established in the province as a one-window facility to automate the licenses and NOCs required for starting up or expanding businesses, which would help boost business activities, according to a press release issued here.

He said this while addressing a dinner reception hosted by Atif Ikram Sheikh, former President ICCI and presidential candidate of UBG for FPCCI, at his residence. S.M. Tanveer said that UBG has a clear vision to address the key issues of the business community, increase exports, strengthen foreign exchange reserves, and boost industrialization, and this vision would be implemented after winning the upcoming elections of FPCCI to revive the economy.

Ahsan Zafar Bakhtawari, President of the Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI), said that the role of FPCCI is very important in promoting the private sector in the country and assisting the government in boosting exports, encouraging foreign investment, and stimulating economic activity, and UBG will strengthen FPCCI to play this role effectively.

He said that ICCI is a strong supporter of UBG and hoped that under the dynamic leadership of S.M. Tanveer, UBG would achieve a landslide victory in the upcoming elections of FPCCI to address the issues of the business community and promote the economy.

Khalid Iqbal Malik, Group Leader of ICCI, said that the current leadership of FPCCI has failed to deliver for the business community and stressed that all chambers of commerce and trade associations should support UBG in the upcoming elections of FPCCI so that this apex trade body could play an effective role in making Pakistan a hub of business and economic activities.

Zafar Bakhtawari, former President of the ICCI and Secretary General of UBG Pakistan, said that the private sector is the backbone of the economy, and there is a need to promote business leaders as role models in the country to attract youth towards entrepreneurship so that they could drive Pakistan towards progress and prosperity.

Atif Ikram Sheikh, presidential candidate of UBG for FPCCI, said that they have prepared a plan to address the key issues of the business community and steer the economy out of trouble. He said that they would realize the mission of the late SM Munir after winning the elections of the FPCCI to make Pakistan a hub of business activities in the region.

Abdul Rauf Alam, Sheikh Abdul Razak, Waqar Bakhtawari, Zahid Maqbool, and others also spoke on the occasion and expressed strong support for UBG.