More than 20 chambers and A/B class associations have sought President General Pervez Musharraf's intervention for blocking Trade Organisation Ordinance TOO 2006 from implementation.
The chambers and associations, which took the controversy over TOO 2006 to the President, included Hazara Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Gwadar Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Hyderabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Khanewal Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Larkana, Sukkur, Mirpurkhas, Shikarpur and other at least one dozen small chambers have also in writing demanded of the President to take serious notice of the ill conceived TOO.
Mostly small chambers are considering the TOO as a threat and want that it should not be implemented in its exiting form. The aggrieved chambers and associations have informed the President that punitive conditions of TOO like minimum 300 members was a conspiracy against small chambers.
The Hazara Chamber of Commerce & Industry has passed a unanimous resolution wherein it rejected TOO saying it is subjugate of trade and industrial sector in Pakistan. The HCI has appealed to president Musharraf to intervene and take notice of grave situation arising of TOO announcement. It said that TOO was a great conspiracy against industrial and trade sector and its sole purpose is to destroy the economic growth of Pakistan achieved during last few years.
Small chambers are also not ready to accept license fee of Rs 0.3 million per three years on existing chambers and women chamber and associations and call it unjust.
The associations, which want President to play role in TOO case were All Pakistan Flour Mills Association, Pakistan Vanaspati Manufacturers Association (PVMA), All Pakistan Small Traders Association headed by Shaikh Saeed. TOO 2006 is turning into a severe controversy. The traders community is resisting it with tooth and nail. The Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry LCII and few other chambers which had shown soft corner for the government on the issue at an early stage are now demanding amendments in TOO. They have felt the gravity of the situation and the implications that can hurt the traders' community if ordinance implemented in its exiting form.