The Union of Small and Medium Enterprises (Unisame) has urged the Ministry of Commerce (MoC) to strictly debar trade associations from politics.
Zulfikar Thaver President Unisame in a message to federal secretary commerce has drawn his attention to the fact that most of the trade associations are politicised and not functioning under their articles of association.
He said the fees collected from membership and income derived from certifications are not utilised for the promotion and development of the related trade but for self projection and publicity of office-bearers.
He requested the federal secretary to call for their expenses statements on parties, functions related videos and photographs as compared to money spent on information, education, promotion and research.
He said it is of prime importance that the trade body should focus on development of the concerned trade and secondly represent the body at provincial and federal level with homework on issues, requirements, impediments and future planning.
He said that it is shocking that trade association office-bearers do not have knowledge about the trade they represent and are ignorant to the facts and figures about production, exports, imports and taxation.
Persons not in the trade managed to get elected or selected in the committees and therefore, unable to contribute and are dumb and unable to advocate the cases of their members.
Most of the trade bodies need to be revamped thoroughly and their office-bearers interviewed by the Director Trade Organisation (DTO) to ascertain their knowledge on the subject.
The DTO must set new rules and regulations and strict control on the activities of the trade bodies and ensure that they are functioning as trade bodies and not as political parlours for the promotion of personalities.
Certain trade bodies have been entrusted with the task of managing committees framed under the trade policies and the MoC must re-examine their capabilities and the legality of such decisions.-PR
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