LAHORE : Punjab Governor Chaudhry Sarwar has said that protest is right of every citizen but violent protest is not acceptable.
The government led by Prime Minister Imran Khan has raised its voice at all levels to protect the honour of Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). The government is consulting Ulema-e-Ikram on every important decision-making process and will continue to do so. About 70,000 Rehmatul-Lil-Alameen scholarships worth 5.5 billion rupees will be given to underprivileged students every year, adding that it is a historic initiative of the incumbent government.
Talking to the media after visiting the policemen in Jinnah Hospital who were injured during the violent protest by workers of a religious party, Chaudhry Sarwar said that extremism is destructive for any country, therefore, it is the responsibility of all sections of society, including ulema, to play their role in saving Pakistan from extremism. He said that promoting religious harmony in the country will ensure peace and stability. “Anti-Pakistan forces do not want peace in Pakistan but we all have to work together to stamp out extremism from the country,” he said.
In response to a question, the Punjab governor said that whenever any political or religious party, including Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s party, protested, the government never put any obstacle in their way, but if anyone attacks public and security forces in the garb of protest, this is unacceptable. In such circumstances, the government has to ensure law and order in the country.
Chaudhry Sarwar said that banning any party is a matter relating to the federation and the federal government is looking into all matters in this regard and whatever happens will be in accordance with the constitution and law. "I salute the soldiers of all the security forces, the police and the Rangers, who are fighting on the frontlines for maintaining law and order in the country,” he said.
The Punjab governor prayed for early recovery of the injured cops. The doctors briefed the Punjab governor about the treatment of the police personnel.
APP adds: Meanwhile, Punjab Governor Chaudhry Sarwar has said that establishment of Commercial Courts are one of the reforms which the government initiated to improve public service delivery system in line with its vision.
He was talking to the LCCI delegation, led by its President Mian Tariq Misbah here at Governor’s House on Saturday.
Provincial Minister for Industries, Commerce & Investment Mian Aslam Iqbal, Chairman Planning & Development board Abdullah Khan Sumbal and Country Director World Bank Group Najy Benhassine also spoke on the occasion.
The Governor Punjab said that measures taken by the government in collaboration with the Lahore High Court was a giant leap towards making the business environment conducive for trade and economic activities.
He said that this initiative would guarantee and ensure that the investment of the business community in Punjab is secured.
He said that the Commercial Court Ordinance, 2021 would ensure expeditious disposal of claims arising from commercial transactions by introducing timeframe for decision of suits, e-filing of pleadings and limited number of adjournment.
LCCI President Mian Tariq Misbah said that the promulgation of Commercial Courts Ordinance 2021 can be termed as a milestone towards providing a speedy and affordable justice to the business community.
He said that the legal experts involved in preparing this ordinance deserved special appreciation for keeping in view the challenges and complexities of modern business requirements.
The LCCI President lauded the role of Punjab Government, Governor Punjab, Lahore High Court and World Bank for fully supporting this historic measure.
He said that the establishment of Commercial Courts under this ordinance would also contribute greatly in improving the Doing Business ranking of Pakistan because these arrangements would directly influence one of its factors that is called ‘Enforcing Contracts’.
Mian Tariq Misbah said that economies with a more efficient judiciary, in which courts could effectively enforce contractual obligations, have more developed credit markets and a higher level of development overall.
He said, “Pakistan’s present ranking of Doing Business is 108th while our country ranks 156th place on the indicator of Enforcing Contracts.
“ According to the World Bank Doing Business Index, it took around 1,025 days to resolve a commercial dispute in Pakistan as compared to 164 days in Singapore which bagged the top position in this indicator.
The LCCI President hoped that the initiation of the Commercial Courts would create tremendous ease for the business community by providing them a platform for prompt resolution of their commercial disputes.
This would ultimately get reflected in a positive way on the indicator of enforcing contracts which would further improve doing business ranking, he added.
