LAHORE, Oct 14: The Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) will play its role in early reviving of the Pakistan-China Free Trade Agreement.

An assurance to this effect was given to a delegation of the All Pakistan Paper Merchants Association (APPMA) by LCCI president Engineer Sohail Lashari, Senior Vice-President Mian Tariq Misbah and Vice-President Kashif Anwar here on Monday.

Led by Khamis Saeed Butt, the 19-member APPMA delegation comprised Association President Mian Amjad Hussain, Senior Vice-President Malik Ahad Amin, honorary Senior Vice-President Khwaja Nadeem Saeed Wayeen, Samiullah Butt and former president Qayyum Raza.

Engineer Lashari said the LCCI would soon be writing letters to the Ministry of Commerce and Federal Board of Revenue for renewal of Free Trade Agreement with China.

The LCCI would also provide details of the products which are not manufactured in Pakistan so that they could be included in the new FTA.

Regarding sales tax, income tax and wealth tax, the LCCI president said that Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif had already constituted two committees with the LCCI that would be looking into the problems being faced by the business community.

Mr Lashari said that one committee had been constituted with the Lahore Commissioner that would be looking into the general issues while the other one had been made with the Punjab Excise and Taxation Department.

He said the LCCI would take up all tax-related issues with the Excise and Taxation Committee.

About the shortage of electricity, the LCCI president said he had invited APPMA members to participate in LCCI plans to produce electricity on a self-generation basis.

Mr Lashari also sought practical proposals from APPMA for the construction of parking plazas in Urdu Bazaar and Gunpat Road.

He said the chief minister did not believe in verbal suggestions and APPMA would have to come up with concrete proposals to ensure early construction of parking sites.

LCCI Senior Vice-President Mian Tariq Misbah said that an acute shortage of electricity and deteriorating law and order situation in some parts of the country had pushed the economy to wall at a time when the country was in a dire need of an accelerated growth.

He said that under these circumstances, the role of chambers of commerce and industry in the country and other sector-specific trade organizations like APPMA, working at the national level, had become more important and relevant.

LCCI Vice-President Kashif Anwar urged the APPMA office-bearers to continue to guide their members about the happenings at the international economic front so that the people attached with the paper business could be able to do their business with peace of mind.

He assured the visiting delegation that the Lahore chamber would continue to support them.