LAHORE – The entire newly elected body of the Federation of Pakistan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) Sunday strongly demanded total exemption of industrial sector from power and gas load shedding to help strengthen national economy besides saving the industrial and agricultural sectors from irreparable loss.
President elect FPCCI, Zubair Ahmad Malik, VP SAARC CCI
Iftikhar Ali Malik, and all VPs Azhar Saeed Butt, Shaikh Muhammad Ali, Khawaja Muhammad Iqbal, Zafar Khalil Khan, Gulzar Feroz, Abdul Khaliq and Shaheen Ilyas while talking to media today demanded that government, in the larger national interest, should accord top priority to industrial and agricultural sectors.
They demanded uninterrupted gas supply throughout the year to boost the economic growth and meet export targets besides ensuring bumper crops.
They said that survival of all countries rely on sound economy, hence in the greater national interest the government should reshape its policy of load shedding to provide a chance to industry to flourish. 
Iftikhar Ali Malik said that keeping in view global business scenario, high mark up rate by banks should also be reduced to single digit for providing solace to the industry.  He said that absence of gas and power and increased fuel prices would burden the industrial sector which was already facing high mark up rate.
 “All these factors are increasing the cost of doing business”, he added.