The Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), like any other business and industry chamber facilitates the functioning of its members' business and promote their activities from the LCCI platform. The chamber helps its members in getting through difficulties, and bureaucratic hurdles and tries to create a peaceful business environment for all its members.

Reflecting on the mission of the chamber he said, the chamber strives, ëto serve its members in all areas of their businesses. Our mission is to promote trade and commerce by erasing existing hurdles, strengthen public-private partnership and enhance commerce activities at local and international level. Right now major target is to enhance production and commerce thatís why trying to link up educational institutes with industry to generate positive outcome.

Our endeavor is to develop better understanding among members by providing maximum facilities to enhance and develop industry. At the time of budget, with the help of members we prepare our ëbusiness and industryí proposal for governments to finalise their industrial policies, he added.

The Chamber cooperates, associates, links up various national and international activities with the help and involvement of international bodies. ITC Geneva and LCCI initiated joint effort of WTO reference centre to create the ground for awareness among the businesses, intelligentsia, students reading commerce and thus create awareness for an overall impact.

The Chamber has initiated some 110 Standing Committees to look after various affairs of business and industry, from labour related issues to technology, modernization, government policies and its impact on various industries, national and international projection and handling foreign delegates. LCCI is committed to making an effective contribution to the nationís economic development through the promotion of trade and industry. The important function, he said, is that LCCI acts as a bridge between the government and business community by playing an important role in policy formulation and by maintaining a constant interaction with the relevant authorities.

Talking about the textile sector, Shahid said: Textile was the biggest industrial sector of the country having 60 per cent share in total exports but unfortunately the sector is suffering for the last many years due to new competitors coming to the market and India, China, Korea and Bangladesh having an edge on on our prices. A number of textile units have already been closed while many more are facing various kinds of difficulties.

Shahid stressed on the need for removal of non-tariff barriers and easing of visa restrictions for boosting bilateral trade with India.

He expressed concern over present scenario that in todayís globalised world it is very difficult for a country to regain some particular market that is lost to another country. The situation is so bad that even the oldest buyers of Pakistani merchandise are now making deals in China, India and Bangladesh despite the fact there is not much difference in the cost of doing business in Pakistan. In the area of textiles, where Pakistan exported goods worth $10 billion last year, has not done too well recently compared to Bangladesh.

Many other visible obstacles in industrial progress are disturbed energy supply, high production cost and absent good governance. Another important factor is that the pace of technology and modernization in Pakistan wasnít that much speeded up as in many countries now competing with us in the international market.

He further emphasized that in today's world, technology is a defining factor for any countryís economic/ industrial growth. World economy is now no longer restricted by geographical barriers and Pakistani industry can compete globally only by manufacturing high quality cost-effective products. After WTO regime, competition is tough and only cost and quality will survive.

He appreciated that governmentís policy of public-private partnership has started to yield results as the GDP growth for the first time in the national history has touched the figure of 7 per cent. Expressing his concern over delay in provision of a level-playing field to the developing countries for marketing their agricultural products to the developed world Mr Shahid stated that Pakistan had fundamental interests in further strengthening the rules governing international agricultural trade, as agriculture is the backbone of its economy. Further he said anti-dumping duty is another area of serious concern for the Pakistani business community are they are often subjected to anti-dumping duties.