‘Boycott elections if charter not signed’

54 chamber leaders warn govt, politicians to work together

LAHORE:

Around 54 business bodies unanimously agreed to boycott the general elections if the mainstream political parties failed to sign a charter of economy at the earliest.

The presidents of 54 of Pakistan’s Chambers of Commerce and Industry developed this consensus while participating in the International Chambers Summit 2023 organised by the Rawalpindi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (RCCI). The business leaders also held a detailed meeting with the President Arif Alvi on the side-lines of the summit, and apprised him about the ongoing economic scenario, calling for an early resolution to the grievances being faced by the business community.

“Right now, the country needs a charter of economy more than ever. If all the political parties do not sign a charter of economy before the elections, the business community, which is also an economic party, is going to boycott the general elections,” they warned.

Responding to the demand of the business leaders, President Alvi said, “We are going through hard times and all stakeholders, including the general public, business community and all segments of society, should play a positive role so that together we can come out of this time of difficulty.”

“The businesspeople of the country must set goals and directions in order to achieve the financial objectives of enterprises for economic prosperity, in addition to playing their respective roles in ensuring that these businesses dispense their responsibilities towards society,” added President Alvi.

Earlier, addressing a joint press conference, Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) President Kashif Anwar said that the present economic situation calls for an amnesty to energise the foreign exchange reserves so that Pakistan’s undeclared assets can be declared and come into the economic circle.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 19^th, 2023.

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