LAHORE: President Mamnoon Husain says the government is working to put the economy on the right track.

“The business community is backbone of the economy and its role is significant to achieve the economic targets set by the government,” the president said addressing the annual goodwill dinner of the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) in honour of foreign ambassadors in Pakistan on Friday.

LCCI President Ijaz A Mumtaz, Senior Vice-President Mian Nauman Kabir, Vice-President Syed Mahmood Ghaznavi LCCI Standing Committee on Diplomatic, Foreign Missions and Embassy Liaison Convener Muhammad Haroon Arora and Dean of the Ambassadors Rodolfo J Martin-Saravia also addressed the most gathering while LCCI former presidents and executive committee members were present. Up to 66 ambassadors, diplomats and federal ministers graced the function.

Take a look: All should support efforts to end terrorism: Mamnoon

Mr Husain said the law and order situation and energy shortages were the major hurdles in the way of economic growth but the government was fully concentrating on addressing these issues.

Mr Mumtaz appreciated the efforts of government in war on terror and in maintaining the law and order situation in the country.

He said Pakistan should be granted maximum market access on favorable terms so our businesses could create jobs and opportunities for people to be hopeful.

He sought trade, not aid, from the international community.

He said the mutual trade could be enhanced by exchanging trade delegations and organising fairs and exhibitions. For that matter, visa regime needs to be liberalised for the bona fide businessmen in order for them travel frequently.

“We have rich resource base, young population and locational advantages. We are situated in a high growth region,” he added.

He said Pakistan was still going through the phase of energy crisis. Though the government was working on war footing to address the issue, still a lot remained to be done. He said that ambassadors should encourage their governments and the private sectors to make investments, especially in the energy sector of Pakistan. He said that due to security issues, Pakistan had already paid a heavy price both in terms of not being able to maintain the desired level of investment and likewise gaining a little success in inviting new investors to Pakistan but now things had taken the right path.

He urged the foreign diplomats to present the soft image of Pakistan in their countries and neutralise the negative effect which the media had portrayed about us and also propagate Pakistan’s actual peaceful environment rather than the one conceived presently by the world.

Published in Dawn, January 31st, 2015

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