Razak withdraws bill to extend tenure of FPCCI office-bearers

Businessmen Group (BMG) vice chairman and former president Karachi Chamber of Commerce & Industry (KCCI) Haroon Farooki, BMG general secretary AQ Khalil and KCCI acting president Khurram Shahzad, who represented KCCI at a meeting of the Standing Committee on Commerce & Textile held in Islamabad on Wednesday, strongly opposed the proposed bill to extend the tenure of FPCCI's office-bearers from one year to three years which will not be acceptable to the Business & Industrial Community of entire Pakistan.
The meeting, which was presided over by chairperson of the Standing Committee, Mirza Muhammad Afridi, was also attended by PM's Adviser on Commerce Razak Dawood and other prominent members of the Standing Committee along with representatives of Chambers of Commerce from different provinces of the country.
While sharing their opinion over this particular issue, KCCI representatives pointed out that the tenure of FPCCI president currently lasts for one year but some elements were attempting to extend this term to three years through amendments in relevant laws which was not practical and would be strongly resisted by the business & industrial community.
"It is going to be a sheer injustice for Chambers of Commerce who intend to take charge of the apex body but after such an extension of three years, any chamber of commerce from any province of the country will have to wait for more than two decades to reassume the charge of FPCCI's presidency", they added.
BMG vice chairman Haroon Farooki stated that the bill proposes amendment in Section 11 of Trade Organization Ordinance (TOO) 2013 which pertains to one year tenure of the Office Bearers but this particular section was not confined to the tenure of FPCCI office-bearers only as it was also applicable on all other Chambers of Commerce and Trade bodies. "This bill seeking amendment in Section 11 of TOO 2013 is not practically, technically and legally implementable for FPCCI only as it will have an impact on all the trade bodies hence it must be immediately withdrawn", he added.
KCCI representatives emphasized that the said Bill to extend the tenure of FPCCI office-bearers should have been consulted with the all the stakeholders prior to bringing it at the Senate for debate and fact-findings. Majority of the business community in fact the entire business community of country was against this bill hence, it should be immediately dismissed, they demanded.
After listening to KCCI point of view and all the reservations expressed by the representatives of other chambers, the bill proposer of the Bill and PM's Adviser Razak Dawood, while agreeing to KCCI's viewpoint, immediately withdrew the bill which was warmly welcomed by all the representatives of the business & industrial Community present at the meeting.-PR