Lahore (Nut Desk)
The progressive group of members of the Lahore Chamber of Industry and Commerce has urged the government to make the recently adopted IMF program final by introducing economic and institutional reforms in the country. The Progressive Group further said that under this package, a digital one-window industry setting-up app should be introduced to facilitate the establishment of industries in the country. This app should also be linked to the Federal Board of Revenue, Customs, WAPDA, Banks, Social Security, Environment, Labour and all other concerned departments to obtain the necessary permits and subsequently create an investor-friendly and convenient environment for the smooth running of the industry. Muhammad Ejaz Tanveer, the central leader of the Progressive Group and a member of the Executive Committee of the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said in a statement that measures should be taken on a war footing basis to increase domestic exports, in which the availability of export raw materials would be made easy and guaranteed. Exporters should also be awarded national hero status, establishing criminal cases against government officials harassing exporters and ensuring the appointment of commercial attachés worldwide on merit and linking their promotion to their performance. He added that steps should also be taken to increase the export of Made in Pakistan value-added products on a war footing. Muhammad Ejaz Tanveer also emphasized the reforms in the government structure of the bureaucracy. In this regard, he said that the CSS system should be changed and the advancement of bureaucrats should be made conditional on their performance. The leader of the Progressive Group further said that running National Bank, Utility Store, PSO, PIA, Steel Mills, Government Power Plant, Railways and Commercial Institutions is not the government’s job, therefore the National Corporations under government patronage are corrupt. It is not possible to get rid of the IMF without privatizing it. Ejaz further said that this is the time to take the country to the point where the IMF will not be needed in the future with such economic reforms and if it is not done now, it will never be possible.
