LAHORE, April 10: The Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Pakistan Industrial Associations Front have jointly appealed to the political leadership to check the incidence of violence posing a serious threat to the country’s economy.

LCCI president Mohammad Ali Mian in a statement said on Thursday that the violence in Karachi had sent a very negative signal abroad and could have serious consequences for the future of the economy.

Since the economic aspects were equally important, the immediate fallout could be a drastic cut in foreign investment. Any investor would think many times before making investment in a country where law and order situation was not normal, he said.

The LCCI office-bearers including senior vice-president Mian Muzaffar Ali and vice-president Shafqat Saeed Piracha said that the February 18 election and the resultant shaping up of governments at the federal and provincial levels had given considerable boost to the soft image of the country and it emerged as an investment-friendly nation again but “it seems that some unseen forces want to tarnish this image.”

The LCCI leaders called upon the government to take strict measures and bring the anti-social elements to the book to pave way for fulfilment of promises to provide relief to the people.

The executive committee of Pakistan Industrial and Traders Associations Front, while expressing grave concern over the killing of a number of people in Karachi violence urged the government to take corrective measures as the incident has created a very negative impact on the overall economy.

The committee, which met here with Mian Abuzar Shad in the chair, also showed serious concern over the wrongdoings of the previous regime pinpointed by Federal Finance Minister Ishaq Dar.

The committee lauded the strategy announced by the minister to bring the country out of economic mire.