LAHORE, Sept 30: The Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry has demanded an immediate ban on livestock import from India.

Voicing the demand in a statement issued here on Friday, LCCI spokesman Mian Nauman Kabir said that ‘sick’ and ‘infected’ livestock and poultry arriving from India was likely to infect the 130 million Pakistani livestock if the imports were not stopped immediately. He said that a number of research reports had shown that mad cow diseases had originated from India and reached UK through the bone and meal exported to it.

He said that the government should review its policy of meeting shortages of different commodities through imports. It should devise ways and means to increase production of the commodities in short supply instead of opting for imports.

TAX RETURNS: The Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry has demanded a 15-day extension in the last date for filing income tax returns.

Voicing the demand in a statement, an LCCI spokesman said extension in the date was necessary as a large number of businessmen and trade organizations had not been able to file the returns till the last date fixed for the purpose. — Reporter