The Progressive Businessman Forum has opposed the direct elections of the presidents and vice presidents of the chambers under the Rules 2007 of the Trade Organisation Ordinance 2006 and has suggested the election of the office bearers should be through the executive committees.
Also suggested that the tenure for the members should be of two years rather than one-year. These suggestions, in the form of letter, have been sent to Federal Minister for Commerce, Humayun Akhtar Khan by the leader of Progressive Businessman Forum and chairman Afghan-Pak Chamber of Commerce & Industry Senator Ilyas Ahmad Bilour.
Letter was the result of a meeting that was held a few days back among the representatives of Sarhad, Lahore, Rawalpindi, Haripur and Okara chambers under his chairmanship. The leader of the Progressive Businessman Forum appreciated the Trade Organisations Rules 2007, saying it would help eliminate the fake trade bodies in the country.
In the letter, Senator Bilour has proposed to review in Rules 22(2) B, 22A, 22 (4) A, 22 (5) B, 23 (4) and 23 (12) of the Trade Organisations Ordinance Rules. The forum has also suggested the abolition of the conditionally of the membership of executive committee or office bearers for becoming member of the general body.
It was also mentioned in the letter that in the present situation only 28 chambers were in a position to qualify the requirements of the Trade Organisation Ordinance.
Therefore, instead of one permanent seat for Punjab, Sindh, NWFP and Balochistan on the executive committee of the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FPCCI) the PBF has suggested each seat for all 28 chambers.
These steps would help abolish discriminatory and unfriendly relations of federation with Rawalpindi, Gujranwala, Gujrat, Sialkot, Faisalabad and Multan.
It was also suggested that space should be generated for 14 additional seats for the chambers established at provincial level and the number of the representatives of chambers on the executive committee would climbed to 32.
If such proposals were not applicable the FPCCI general body related provincial representatives should be authorised to elect the members of FPCCI executive committee themselves, he suggested.