LCCI Seeks Changes to PERA, EPA and Food Authority Laws

The Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry has prepared amendments to the PERA EPA laws — the laws governing the Punjab Enforcement and Regulatory Authority, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Punjab Food Authority — and presented them to the Punjab Assembly speaker.

The chamber’s president, Ali Hussam Asghar, told Senate Chairman Syed Yousuf Raza Gillani about the proposals during a meeting in Islamabad. Gillani assured the business community a hearing before the Senate standing committees on finance, economics, commerce and industry.

The Express Tribune reported that the chamber wants the three laws changed so that businesses are no longer subjected to raids, inspections and arrests for regulatory breaches.

Fines, not arrests

Asghar said businesses faced raids, inspections and arrests under the regulatory laws, leaving businessmen apprehensive about routine activity. He said unnecessary raids, humiliating treatment and arrests without adequate consideration of circumstances were damaging confidence.

The chamber is not against regulation, he said. Its position is that violations should be addressed through financial penalties and corrective measures rather than arrests.

Gillani said the business community would be heard before the relevant Senate standing committees, adding that taxation, regulatory challenges, policy discontinuity and the rising cost of doing business were genuine concerns.

He encouraged the chamber to maintain active engagement with parliamentary institutions, saying its practical experience and sector-specific insights could contribute to legislative deliberations. When businesses prospered, he said, employment expanded and the country became economically stronger.

A seat at the table

Asghar proposed making the chamber president an ex-officio member of the Senate’s economic standing committees. He also asked Gillani to help establish a mechanism for reviewing business-related legislation at federal and provincial level, including a special review committee to assess existing laws’ impact on trade and industry.

Gillani said the Senate, as the House of Federation, provided a platform for examining economic challenges and would promote a legislative environment that protected legitimate business interests.

PERA EPA laws: a month-long campaign

The Gillani meeting is the latest step in a campaign the chamber has run for more than a month. The same three laws, the Punjab Enforcement and Regulatory Authority Act, the Punjab Food Authority legislation and the Environmental Protection Agency legislation, were identified by the chamber in mid-October.

On October 16, it presented the proposals to Punjab Assembly Speaker Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan, seeking an end to the FIR culture, a review of arrest powers and protection against harassment. The speaker assured the chamber its concerns would be taken up.

On October 29, it put the same proposals to Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, who promised the provincial government’s full support and faster digitalisation.

Why it matters for Lahore businesses

The dispute goes to the heart of how Punjab regulates its businesses. The Punjab Enforcement and Regulatory Authority, known as the PERA Force, has powers that traders say are used too freely, with raids and arrests for breaches that the chamber argues should draw fines instead.

For a small manufacturer or shopkeeper in Lahore, the difference matters. A fine can be paid and the business corrected. An arrest, even a brief one, can close a shop, scare off customers and leave a record that follows the owner.

The chamber’s push fits a wider pattern. Lahore’s business community has been active on several fronts, from inviting investors from the UAE into eight sectors to leading a delegation of Pakistani investors to Ethiopia. The government has made similar noises on the financing side, pressing banks to ease SME loans for small businesses as part of a push towards a Rs2.2 trillion SME financing target by 2028.

Whether the Senate committees take up the amendments will be the next test. The chamber now has a hearing promised at the federal level, on top of the assurances it has already collected in Lahore.

Frequently asked questions

Which laws does the LCCI want changed?

The Punjab Enforcement and Regulatory Authority Act, the Punjab Food Authority legislation and the Environmental Protection Agency legislation.

What does the chamber want instead of raids and arrests?

It wants violations handled through financial penalties and corrective measures rather than arrests, arguing that raids and humiliating treatment damage business confidence.

What did Senate Chairman Gillani promise?

A hearing before the Senate standing committees on finance, economics, commerce and industry.

What is the ex-officio proposal?

LCCI president Ali Hussam Asghar proposed making the chamber president an ex-officio member of the Senate’s economic standing committees, plus a mechanism to review business legislation.

Has the chamber raised this before?

Yes. It presented the same three-law package to the Punjab Assembly speaker on October 16 and to Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz on October 29.