Business community must be consulted on austerity measures: LCCI

LAHORE, Mar 30 (APP):Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) Monday urged the government to consult business community while considering austerity measures including imposition of a smart lockdown, amid fears of fuel shortages arising from the ongoing tension in the Middle East and disruptions in global oil supply chains.

In a media statement issued here, LCCI President Faheem Ur Rehman Saigol, Senior Vice President Tanveer Ahmed Sheikh and Vice President Khurram Lodhi said that while the business community fully understands the gravity of the evolving international situation and the need for prudent fuel management, imposing smart lockdowns would not serve as an effective or sustainable solution to the emerging economic challenges.

The LCCI office-bearers said that restricting economic activity through lockdown-style measures could further slow industrial output, disrupt supply chains and create uncertainty for businesses already operating under high production costs, energy tariffs and inflationary pressures. They emphasized that Pakistan’s economy cannot afford another phase of restricted commercial activity at a time when industries are striving to stabilize and increase exports.

The LCCI office-bearers noted that controlling unnecessary mobility and promoting responsible fuel consumption may help reduce oil usage, but blanket or semi-lockdown measures would negatively affect trade, manufacturing and daily wage earners. They stressed that economic continuity must remain a priority alongside resource conservation.

They urged the government to ensure comprehensive consultation with LCCI and the industry representatives before taking any decision related to mobility restrictions or austerity policies, stating that policies formulated without stakeholder input often create implementation challenges and unintended economic consequences.

The LCCI office-bearers proposed several practical alternatives that could help manage fuel consumption without harming economic activity. These include promoting work-from-home arrangements for non-essential government departments, staggered office and market timings to reduce peak fuel consumption, encouraging carpooling and public transport usage, and limiting fuel consumption in the public sector through strict efficiency targets. They said that closing schools and universities negatively affects children, and such measures should not be implemented in any case.

They also suggested accelerating digitalization of government services to minimize physical movement, prioritizing fuel allocation for export-oriented and essential industries, and launching a nationwide awareness campaign encouraging energy conservation among citizens and businesses.

The LCCI leadership further recommended reducing non-essential government travel, curtailing official protocol-related fuel usage, and ensuring uninterrupted fuel supply to industrial and logistics sectors to prevent disruption in exports and supply chains.

The office-bearers reiterated that economic stability and energy management must go hand in hand, adding that consultation with the business community would enable the government to design balanced and workable policies during challenging global circumstances.

They reaffirmed the Lahore Chamber’s commitment to working closely with policymakers to safeguard economic activity while supporting national efforts aimed at responsible resource management and energy conservation.