PIAF finalises strategy for upcoming LCCI polls

Pakistan Industrial and Traders Associations Front (PIAF) has finalized its strategy for selection of candidates for upcoming LCCI polls scheduled for September 21 and 22, 2011.
According to handout issued here on Tuesday as per the strategy, finalized by the PIAF Executive Committee, only those people would be taken as PIAF candidates who have expertise in a certain sector of economy and would be able to give a plan for the economic revival of that particular sector.
The PIAF Executive Committee meeting was presided over by Chairman Sohail Lashari and was also attended by former LCCI Presidents Mian Anjum Nisar, Mian Shafqat Ali, Mohammad Ali Mian, Senator Zafar Iqbal Chaudhry, LCCI Senior Vice President Sheikh Mohammad Arshad and Vice President Sohail Azhar besides a large number of Executive Committee members.
A Committee headed by former LCCI President Mian Anjum Nisar was also formed to select suitable candidates for forthcoming LCCI Polls. The PIAF has taken this decision keeping in view the fact that ongoing economic scenario that calls for a proactive chambers’ role in future.
It was also decided that the PIAF Selection Committee, for the first time in its history, would also conduct interviews of the candidates so that the right people could get a chance to represent the business community.
Addressing the PIAF Executive Committee Members, the former LCCI President Mian Anjum Nisar said that bad governance, corruption and nepotism have pushed the country to the wall and the economy would take a long time to come out of the woods.
He said that all the Public Sector Enterprises including Pakistan Railways and PIA are incurring loss of billions of rupees to the national exchequer annually but the government is least interested in helping them.
“We were used to reading about corruption among low-ranking officers but today the situation is altogether different and top ranking government functionaries are found involved in corruption,” he added.
Nisar said that it was very unfortunate that despite an acute shortage of gas and power, their prices are being increased regularly and without any due justification.
Nisar also showed resentment against the government for the current law and order situation in Karachi and said that daily killings in the port city are sending a very wrong signal abroad and thus hitting the economy hard. Speaking on the occasion, Chairman PIAF Sohail Lashari urged the Chairman Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) to take private sector on board regarding reforms initiated to streamline FBRs working and on changes being made in sales tax return form. He also urged the Chairman FBR to help stop issuing notices to genuine businessmen as repeated notices are discouraging them to play their role for economic well being of the country. The PIAF Chairman promised the Executive committee members that PIAF would continue all its efforts to solve the issues of the business community.