PESHAWAR: Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FPCCI) former President and Businessmen Panel (BMP) Secretary General Senator Ghulam Ali said on Thursday that Director General Trade Organizations (DGTO) had issued licences to different new chambers of commerce which even do not meet the criteria as per laws.
Talking with newsmen, he alleged that the DGTO had cleared the cases of chambers on personal whims which were against the rules and regulations besides approving so many new chambers and associations, especially in the province of KP, in haste.
His whimsical approvals are actually creating divisions among the business community while ignoring the real faces. In this regard, I conveyed all the objections and reservation to the DGTO office which ironically remains unanswered to date,” said Ali.
Ali said as per rules and regulations, a chamber president is not allowed to hold the office for another year without a gap of a year between the two terms, but some of them are enjoying the presidencies for three consecutive years without election under the aegis of the DGTO office.
“We have always acknowledged the efforts of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Commerce Minister Khurram Dastagir for solving the problems of business community across the country, but some black sheep are spoiling the image of the government by damaging its initiatives for transparency.
He also revealed that the DGTO office had hardly updated its website on regular basis. Ali urged the government to take up the issue and restore the business community’s confidence. Ali asked Commerce Secretary Younas Dhaga to intervene in this matter and appoint some credible officer for the office of the DGTO on priority basis.
It may be noted here that the DGTO office was established in 2007 after the promulgation of Trade Organizations Ordinance-2007 as a regulatory body to implement the provisions of the aforesaid ordinance.
