Senate to facilitate business community’s input in economic policymaking: Gillani

LAHORE, Nov 05 (APP):Senate Chairman Syed Yousaf Raza Gillani said on Thursday that the Senate would continue playing its role in promoting a legislative and policy environment conducive to business, protecting legitimate business interests and advancing national economic priorities.

He said the business community would be provided an opportunity to present its views and recommendations before relevant Senate standing committees dealing with Finance, Economics, Commerce and Industry, emphasising that effective economic policymaking required meaningful consultation with all stakeholders.

He was addressing members of the business community at the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), where LCCI President Ali Hussam Asghar, Senior Vice President Sardar Usman Ghani, Vice President Chaudhry Khadim Hussain, Member National Assembly Syed Ali Qasim Gillani, former LCCI president Mian Misbah-ur-Rehman and Mian Aziz-ur-Rehman Chan also spoke.

The Senate Chairman said taxation, regulatory challenges, policy discontinuity and the rising cost of doing business were genuine concerns of the business community that needed to be addressed. He acknowledged Lahore’s historic role as a centre of commerce, industry and entrepreneurship and appreciated the contribution of its business community to employment generation, industrial development and national prosperity.

Highlighting the role of Parliament, particularly the Senate as the House of the Federation, he said its legislative and oversight functions provided an institutional platform for examining economic challenges and facilitating constructive engagement between stakeholders and policymakers. He assured the business community that the Senate would work towards a policy framework that encouraged entrepreneurship, protected legitimate business interests and supported the country’s economic priorities.

Yousaf Raza Gillani encouraged the Lahore Chamber to maintain active and constructive engagement with parliamentary institutions, observing that its practical experience, informed recommendations and sector-specific insights could make a meaningful contribution to legislative deliberations and parliamentary oversight. He said that when businesses prospered, employment opportunities expanded and the country became economically stronger.

LCCI President Ali Hussam Asghar urged the Senate Chairman to play an active role in reviewing business-related legislation, addressing regulatory challenges and creating a more business-friendly environment. He also proposed that the LCCI President be made an ex-officio member of the Senate’s economic standing committees to ensure direct representation of the business community in the legislative process.

He said the Chamber’s primary responsibility was policy advocacy, particularly in matters relating to legislation and economic policymaking. However, certain laws had adversely affected the ease and cost of doing business.

Drawing the Senate Chairman’s attention to problems arising from raids, inspections and arrests of businesspeople under various regulatory laws, he said the business community was increasingly apprehensive about conducting routine economic and industrial activities. Unnecessary raids, humiliating treatment and arrests without adequate consideration of the circumstances were undermining business confidence.

Ali Hussam Asghar clarified that the business community was not opposed to regulation or enforcement of laws. However, regulatory measures should facilitate improvements rather than become a source of harassment and humiliation. He proposed that violations should, wherever appropriate, be dealt with through financial penalties, education and corrective measures instead of immediately resorting to the registration of FIRs and arrests.

He informed the Senate Chairman that the Lahore Chamber had held detailed consultations with its legal team and relevant stakeholders to examine the implications of laws relating to the Punjab Enforcement and Regulatory Authority (PERA), the Environmental Protection Agency and the Punjab Food Authority. Following these deliberations, the Chamber had prepared proposed amendments and submitted them to the Speaker of the Punjab Assembly.

The LCCI President requested the Senate Chairman to help establish a mechanism for reviewing business-related legislation at both federal and provincial levels. He also proposed constituting a special review committee to examine existing laws and assess their impact on trade and industry.

LCCI Senior Vice President Sardar Usman Ghani said the fundamental responsibility of chambers of commerce was to contribute to the formulation of an effective policy framework. He observed that policymaking could not remain balanced if the bureaucracy was heard while the actual stakeholders affected by those policies were not consulted.

He also advocated a district-based economic development strategy, maintaining that policies formulated centrally in Islamabad could not always address the specific economic realities of different cities and districts. Strengthening city and district governments was essential for promoting local economic activity and addressing region-specific challenges.

LCCI Vice President Chaudhry Khadim Hussain thanked the Senate Chairman for visiting the Lahore Chamber and requested him to play an effective role in highlighting the concerns and proposals presented by the LCCI President and other senior representatives of the business community before relevant parliamentary forums.

Member National Assembly Syed Ali Qasim Gillani offered his cooperation to the LCCI in matters relating to legislation at the National Assembly level. Citing the amendment to the Trade Organizations Act as an example of his engagement with the business community, he explained that an anomaly had reduced the tenure of office-bearers of 277 chambers and associations from two years to one year. He said he had introduced the necessary legislation and worked to secure its passage through both the National Assembly and the Senate.

Former LCCI President Mian Misbah-ur-Rehman proposed that LCCI office-bearers and Executive Committee members be given an opportunity to visit the Senate and observe its proceedings.