Basharat promises resolving traders issues

LAHORE: Punjab Minister for Law and Cooperatives Raja Basharat has said that the present government was creating maximum facilities for the business community in line with the vision of Prime Minister so that they can wholeheartedly help the govt in running economy of the country; he was addressing a meeting at Lahore Chamber of Commerce & Industries (LCCI) on Thursday.

LCCI President Mian Nouman Kabir, Secretary General Shahid Khalil, Senior Vice-President Rehman Nazir, Vice President Haris Atiq and other office-bearers and members were also present on the occasion.

Raja Basharat said that the members of LCCI would be consulted on regular basis in the forthcoming legislation in Punjab. He assured that all possible steps would be taken to facilitate arms licensing in the one-window section of the chamber. "Concerns of the business community on issues such as empowering the reconciliation courts, encroachments, traffic jams, confiscation of containers will also be addressed," he assured. Responding to questions from chamber members, the law minister said that three committees were working on police reforms and as soon as their recommendations were received, they would be implemented. He said that the road blockade in protests should be stopped as it always caused immense damage to the business community and the country's economy. Govt had enacted legislation for the protests and set up red zones but the voluntary efforts of the people were more important.

Raja Basharat agreed that there was unnecessary delay in cases for which the Prime Minister had also formed a committee headed by the Federal Minister for Law which included all the provincial law ministers and it was working on tackling the delay issue. He said that record legislation had been enacted in Punjab during the last three years on which the Prime Minister had specially praised Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar.

Asked by a journalist about the release of Saad Rizvi, the Law Minister said that the matter of Saad Rizvi was with the Federal Review Board. Earlier, various officials including the president of the chamber, lauded Raja Basharat's efforts to foster an atmosphere of trust between the government and the business community. Meanwhile, the special guest was also given a tour of the One Window Centre in the Chamber.