Former president of Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) and chairman of Businessmen Group (BMG), Siraj Kassam Teli, said on Thursday that his group and KCCI were staying away from the FPCCI elections.
"Federation of Pakistan Chamber of Commerce and Industry continues to follow the same old policy and remains subjugated by fake and bogus and paper-based trade associations and chambers, that has made true representatives of business and industrial community voiceless and that is the basic reason why BMG and KCCI prefers staying away from FPCCI election," he said.
Referring to numerous contesting groups in the FPCCI election who sought BMG support, Teli said that all these groups, who were looking for his group's support, were informed that Businessmen Group would not support anyone as FPCCI has not been able to effectively expel fake and bogus associations.
"FPCCI is still marred by corruption and continues to represent dozens of bogus and fake chambers and trade bodies", he said, adding that because of that, FPCCI had lost its credibility. He said FPCCI remained busy in just flattering and pleasing the decision-makers. He said that the FPCCI was engaged in carrying out activities/ meetings which didn't fall under its domain. He was of the view that FPCCI should have highlighted core national issues giving recommendations on numerous policies at the federal level.
"Such activities and meetings are encroachments on the activities which fall in the domains of chambers, trade bodies and All Pakistan Trade Associations et cetera because FPCCI does not have any businessmen or industrialists as its members. Hence they, as an institution, should take inputs about policy issues pertaining to the budget, trade and economy from its member chambers and trade associations and forward them to the policymakers at the federal level", he proposed.
To improve FPCCI's affairs Teli said he had been stressing on the need to refer to the Trade Organisation Ordinance (TOO) 2007 with few amendments instead of TOO 2013 which, according to him, must be abrogated. He said that enough room was given to bogus trade bodies to take advantage of the situation.
He said that although assurances have been given from time to time to completely cleanse the FPCCI from fake/ bogus and paper-based associations, yet, no progress has been achieved, disappointingly. Siraj Teli assured that the Karachi Chamber and Businessmen Group would fully support those initiatives which focus on completely banishing bogus and fake trade bodies and associations from the FPCCI.
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