The Director Trade Organisations (DTO), Ministry of Commerce (MoC) has come into action to unearth and cleanse the existence of frivolous associations and chambers to ensure and establish transparency in their functioning.
Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) Director Lahore Waheed Raza Bhatti, has appointed as Administrator of Pakistan Film Producers Association (PFPA).
The action has been taken by the Federal Government in exercise of its powers conferred under Section 10 of the Trade Organisations Ordinance 1961 in order to streamline the PFPA affairs.
Bhatti who was asked to immediately take over charge as Administrator, assumed the charge of office from September 27. He appointed for a period of 60 days with effect from the date that he assumed the charge as administrator and management with the following specific mandate:
(1) To look after day to day affairs of the association, and in this regard will exercise all the powers of the executive committee mentioned in memorandum and articles of the PFPA association.
(2) Scrutinise and update the voters list of the PFPA for the year 2004-05 strictly in accordance with the relevant provisions of memorandum and articles of association, and criteria laid down in the MoC's order, dated 24.4.1997.
(3) Hold election of the PFPA for the year 2004-05 within a period of sixty days and hand over the charge of the association to the newly elected executive committee of the association, and
(4) He will function directly under the supervision and control of the DTO and comply with the directions issued by the Director from time to time.
The Secretary of the Association, henceforth, will work under the control of the Administrator.
MoC Section Officer Khalid Mahmood in his order dated September 23 said: Whereas, the Federal Government, in view of the material available on record is satisfied that the affairs of the PFPA are not being run in accordance with its memorandum and articles of association, and the instructions contained in the MoC's order no. 5(2)/97-T.O.1, dated 24.4.1997.
The association has not held the mandatory annual election after September 2002. The previous executive committee has already outlived its tenure on 30.09.2003. At present no de-jure management of the association is in existence.
The DTO in pursuance of the directions of Honourable Lahore High Court in writ petition no. 7241 of 2004 conducted hearings with regard to affairs of the Association and passed order dated 25.8.2004 whereby the Association was directed to issue election schedule within seven days of the order issuance. The direction of the DTO has not been complied with.
Bhatti is holding a press conference in Lahore on September 29 where he will announce the election schedule.
It recalled that the DTO, after thorough investigations conducted last year into the working of Pakistan Motion Pictures Investors Association, PFPA, Pakistan Film Distributors Association, Pakistan Film Exhibitors Association and Pakistan Restaurants and Caterers Association, had expressed his dissatisfaction and issued notices to these trade bodies to establish their antecedents.
He had also made a video to prove that these bodies had no locus standi. The notices issued by the DTO had remained unanswered. In the meantime, it appears, pressure was brought on the DTO, which resulted in a sudden halt to the investigations.
There is a long list of associations and chambers, which exist only "on paper" and are activated by their promoters at the time of Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry's (FPCCI) elections. What is the attraction in this game? It is only the DTO who could unearth this "fishy functioning of the trade bodies" and the Trade Organisations Ordinance 1961 vests enough powers in him to do the needful.
Comments
Comments are closed.