OUR STAFF REPORTER LAHORE - Presidents of 16 chambers of commerce and industries of Punjab have formally announced the 'Punjab Business Forum at a meeting held at the Chief Ministers Secretariat here Saturday. Representatives of Commerce and industry along with prominent business attended the meeting chaired by Haroon Khawaja, Chairman, Chief Ministers Special Initiatives Entity. Secretary Industries Punjab, Dr. Shujaat Ali Khan, and concerned officials from Finance Department, Police, PEPCO, and SNGPL were also present. Hassan Ali Bhatti, Former President Sialkot CCI has been elected as the first Chairman of PBF while Assad Mashdi Former Fresident Rawalpindi CCI elected as Vice Chairman. Presidents of all Chamber of Commerce and Industry from Punjab will be members of the General Body of the PBF along with SM Tanvir Chairman PIEDMC, M Ali Mian Former President CCI, Nabeel Hashmi Director PIEDMC & PSIC and Ibrahim Quraishi Member Executive Committee LCCI. The Punjab Business Forum, an independent and non-political body, would focus on organizing the business community of the province in order to identify genuine problems faced by the fraternity along with practical solutions. The forum intends to act as a bridge between the business community and govt geared towards assisting the process of policy formulation to ensure outcomes that kick start the economic activity in the country, generate employment, collect taxes and remove unnecessary red-tape and hurdles being faced by the business community. Haroon Khawaja, Chairman, Chief Ministers Special Initiatives Entity assured the business leaders of fullest and continued support to the community and appreciated the initiative taken by the business leaders in formation of the Punjab Business Forum. The Government of Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif is committed to provision of a business friendly atmosphere in the province. We welcome the formation of Punjab Business Forum and hope that this body will play a meaningful role in suggesting practical solutions worthy of serious consideration at policy making level, he said. Hassan Ali, the newly elected Chairman, said that Punjab Business Forum will organize the business community in Punjab and will play an active role in accelerating the industrial and trading activities from and in the province of Punjab. we are thankful indeed to the CM Punjab, Main Shahbaz Sharif, for his untiring efforts to plead the case of Punjab at all levels. We also appreciate the facilitation provided by the Chief Ministers Office in creating this non-political and independent forum. This effort will go a long way in giving a meaningful direction to the business community of the province, he observed. The meeting decided that each chamber shall nominate three of its best candidates to be interviewed and, if selected, groomed for the future leadership of business community. It was also decided that each of the sixteen Chambers of Punjab would submit three major issues/problems being faced and delegate PBF liaise with the provincial government for their resolution on priority basis.