LAHORE, Sept 25: Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry's newly elected President Mian Misbahur Rehman has called upon the industrialists and businessman running profitable enterprises to contribute to the efforts to reduce poverty and unemployment by providing jobs to the unemployed.

Addressing the annual general meeting of the chamber immediately after assuming the charge here on Saturday, Mian Misbahur Rehman said every businessman and industrialist running a profitable concern should provide jobs to two unemployed persons next week. Mr Rehman said he would also provide jobs to six unemployed persons in his three factories next week in accordance with his proposal.

He said unemployment was a global phenomenon and even the developed countries in Europe and America had jobless people. The US alone had two million unemployed. He said the jobless people in the developed countries did not have to face much problems because the governments paid them reasonable unemployment allowance.

Mian Misbahur Rehman said the LCCI would continue to raise its voice for the rights of the business community and solution of the problems being faced by it. He said problems like sales tax anomalies, high power tariff and parking problems required immediate attention.

He said the LCCI would have to play a leading role for the solution of the problems of the business community as it had become the largest chamber in the country with more than 14,000 members. The Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry has only 8,500 members.

Senior Vice-President Sohail Lashari and Vice-President Sheikh Muhammad Arshad stressed the need for development of industrial infrastructure and reduction in costs of inputs for enabling the industry to face the globalization challenge by marketing its goods at competitive prices.

Outgoing president Mian Anjum Nisar said that he had made all possible efforts for solution of the problems being faced by the business community during his tenure in office.

Outgoing vice-president Shahzad Ali Malik called upon the newly-elected office-bearers to complete the project of construction of parking lots in main markets initiated by the outgoing office-bearers.

Former chamber presidents Iftikhar Ali Malik, Mian Muhammad Ashraf, Mian Tajammal Hussain, Bashir A.Bakhsah, Mohsin Raza Bokhari, Sheikh Muhammad Asif, Mian Muhammad Ali and Arshad Naeem also attended the annual general meeting.