RAWALPINDI: Adviser to Prime Minister on Commerce, Investment and Textile, Abdul Razak Dawood on Wednesday said business community has been the top priority of government and the focus was to strengthen the interaction with traders.

The minister was talking to a delegation of Rawalpindi Chamber of Commerce and Industry led by its President Malik Shahid Saleem,.

Mr Dawood said that government was working on a multilateral policy including reforms in taxation, regulatory duty and ease of doing business.

“We are working on framing a new industrial policy which will bridge the fundamental disconnects between government and the private sector,” he said, adding “We want recommendations and suggestions to improve our ailing industry, especially small and medium enterprises.”

On the occassion, Mr Saleem said the government should act proactively and set a clear direction for economy with short, medium and long-term goals.

Deindustrialisation situation is an alarming challenge for the country, which has led to a decrease in revenues and increased the number of unemployed people, he added.

He said an aggressive export policy is required to meet the challenge of balance of payment.

Published in Dawn, January 10th, 2019