LAHORE, Dec 30: LCCI president Yawar Irfan Khan has urged the government to formulate friendly and flexible policies for the industrial sector, institutionalize the labour commission and curtail discretionary powers of inspectors to promote economic activity in the country.

He was talking to a four-member delegation of the Planning and Development Division and the ILO headed by P&D poverty alleviation section chief Dr Mohammad Aslam Khan at the LCCI on Monday.

Mr Yawar said there were a lot of concerns in the industry against government policies that were not practicable in local conditions. He stressed that the government must keep in view the local requirements, as industrialists would not succumb to any pressure.

Being employers, he said industrialists and businessmen were ready to facilitate their workers, provided the government also performed the role of a facilitator. He said excessive interference of the official agencies governing trade and industry had become a constant source of harassment. “If businessmen and investors will be harassed, then the government cannot expect to boost economic activity in the country,” he added.

Mr Yawar suggested that the government should repeal the colonial labour laws and rid the industry of outside interference.

However, the situation became interesting when the delegation head Dr Khan said that they had come to discuss poverty alleviation and not to identify the problems of industrialists.

He said the delegation had visited the Chamber to start a dialogue on poverty alleviation and creation of job opportunities.

He, however, agreed that there must be a business-friendly environment to enhance investment and boost economic activity. He also said that the irritants faced by the industry must be removed.

Later, the ILO regional specialist on workers education, D. P. A. Naidu, also presented an agenda for discussion to LCCI president Yawar.

The participants in the meeting later agreed on carrying out further correspondence, holding a one-day seminar on poverty alleviation and taking a comprehensive input from the private sector next month.

P&D division deputy chairman’s special assistant Murtaza Ahmad Shaikh, labour welfare directorate deputy-director (headquarters) Khalid Mahmood Shad and industrialist Tahir Javed Malik also attended the meeting.