LCCI urges USCCI to help stop drone strikes

RECORDER REPORT

LAHORE: The Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) on Saturday strongly protested the continuing drone attacks and urged the US Chamber of Commerce and Industry to help stop the strikes.

LCCI President Irfan Qaiser Sheikh, in a letter to USCCI President and Chief Executive Officer Thomas J Donohue on Saturday, appealed to the American business community to use its influence and convince the authorities concerned to immediately stop the attacks that were not only a violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty but also against the international law.

The LCCI President said Pakistan was a sovereign country and was taking all possible measures to weed out the menace of terrorism once for all.

He said that a continuing US action in Pakistan was creating hatred against the United States in the hearts of Pakistanis therefore the US administration should stop those attacks.

Irfan Qaiser Sheikh said that repeated drone attacks were creating an impression that Pakistan was an unstable state where the government had no writ at all while the situation in the country was other way round.

He said that over 3,000 people had been killed in over 300 drone attacks since 2004 while the US conducted a series of strikes since last Saturday.

He said drone attacks were contrary to international law therefore it was the duty of the global community to look into the issue for its amicable solution at the earliest.

The LCCI President said those drone attacks had already vitiated the economic scenario in the country that had a great potential and numerous attractions for foreign investors.