The Islamabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry has welcomed the government move to strip the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) of the powers to investigate the affairs of persons other than holders of public offices by amending the NAB law and termed it a positive initiative as it would end the element of harassment in the business community and facilitate the growth of business and investment activities in the country. Ahmed Hassan Moughal, President, Islamabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry said that some moves of NAB against certain representatives of private sector had created lot of concerns in the business community of the country and appreciated the government for taking timely steps to limit the scope of NAB to the holders of public offices. He said that business community was fully supportive of initiatives of the government aimed at curbing corruption and illegal business activities. However, he said that if all relevant government departments took timely measures to address the issues of business community and facilitated them in running business activities, it would reduce the element of corruption significantly. He said that businessmen were respectable and responsible citizens of Pakistan and were making key contribution to the economic development of the country. Therefore, he stressed that all government institutions should avoid taking measures that badly hurt the self-respect of genuine businessmen or created harassment in them. ICCI President appealed to all parties represented in the parliament to support the enactment of proposed amendment into NAB law as limiting scope of NAB up to the public office holders would improve the confidence of business community and help in accelerating business activities. He said that Pakistan badly needed to promote investment and exports for reviving its economy, therefore, he urged that government should also amend all business related laws as per current day’s requirements so that Pakistan could emerge as an attractive destination for investors. He said that by creating conducive environment for business sector to strengthen its economy, Pakistan would not only be able to uplift the living standards of its people, it would also achieve better status in the international community.