Release of stuck consignments: Business community lauds LCCI President’s efforts

LAHORE: Business community has extended gratitude to the President Lahore Chamber of Commerce & Industry (LCCI), Mian Nauman Kabir for his untiring efforts to get special permission for the release of consignments stuck at ports and airports of the country.

After receiving a number of complaints from the members, LCCI President Mian Nauman Kabir jumped in to rescue the importers whose containers were stuck at the ports and causing huge demurrage charges.

LCCI efforts yield results and the Economic Coordination Committee of the Cabinet granted a one-time special permission for the release of consignments stuck at ports and airports of the country.

Mian Nauman Kabir, while talking to a group of importers, said that the Lahore Chamber of Commerce & Industry (LCCI) will leave no stone unturned to protect the stakes of the business community.

“It is good to see that the government has given weightage to the LCCI demand and took prompt action to salvage the importers whose consignments of luxury goods were landed on or before June 30, 2022,” the LCCI President added.

He said that the acceptance of LCCI demand by the government will save the importers from heavy losses.

“Ban on import of luxury items has been imposed to curtail the import bill and ultimately the mounting trade deficit. However, the LCCI demanded that import orders already in place for these banned items must be allowed to get cleared,” the LCCI President Mian Nauman Kabir added.

Mian Nauman Kabir said that the business community appreciates the ban on non-essential luxury items in general; as it will save precious foreign exchange in the current time of crisis. But it was essential to release the already placed orders first.

Mian Nauman Kabir said that the decision of grant a one-time special permission for the release of consignments stuck at ports and airports of the country will go a long way. It will not only save huge capital of the importers but will also help trust building between the business community and the government.

The LCCI President pledged to work as a bridge between the business community and the government.

Mean while, Pakistan Industrial and Traders Associations Front (PIAF) Chairman Faheem Ur Rehman Saigol has welcomed the government to allow one-time special permission for the release of stranded consignments of banned items at ports and airports reached on or before June 30, 2022, appealing the authorities to compensate the importers through payment of demurrage and detention charges, as the companies had faced huge losses in this regard.

The PIAF Chairman, in a joint statement along with senior vice chairman Haroon Shafique Chaudhary and vice chairman Raja Adeel Ashfaq, appreciated the decision the Economic Coordination Committee of the Cabinet, especially the Finance Minister Miftah Ismail, who took the initiative on the demand of the business community, including FPCCI, LCCI and PIAF.

Faheem Ur Rehman Saigol stated that the ECC has now relaxed for one-time the ban imposed on May 19 on the import of non-essential and luxury items to contain a massive outflow of foreign exchange. In order to resolve the hardship cases, the ECC granted one-time special permission for the release of consignments stuck at the ports due to contravention framed under SRO 598(I)/2022 of May 19, only for those consignments which have landed at ports or airports in Pakistan on or before June 30, 2022,” on the demand of businessmen and we appreciated the government for this relaxation, he added.

He said the Ministry of Commerce had come up with the proposal on the request of the FPCCI, PIAF and other chambers to relax the ban on consignments which were ready to be shipped but were delayed due to freight congestion and in the meantime ban was imposed on May 19.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022