Amendments to TORs 2013 Will Affect Trade Organizations, S.M. Tanveer
Karachi, Pakistan – Patron-in-Chief of the United Business Group (UBG) at FPCCI, has expressed serious concern over the bill presented in the National Assembly regarding amendments to the Trade Organizations Rules 2013. He warned that any changes to the existing law could result in the closure of several representative trade bodies across the country.
He stated that such amendments, if passed in their current form, would severely undermine the structure of trade organizations that have been developed over decades to support business and industry in Pakistan.
Concerns Over Business Environment
While speaking with UBG Sindh Regional Chairman Sheikh Khalid Tawab, S.M. Tanveer said that the business environment is already under immense pressure due to internal and external trade challenges, high production costs, import restrictions, and policy uncertainty. At such a critical time, he cautioned that limiting the scope of trade organizations would further erode business confidence.
According to him, Chambers of Commerce and Industry provide an effective and unified platform where industrialists, exporters, traders, and small business owners collectively raise their concerns and advocate for shared economic interests.
Impact on District Chambers and SMEs
S.M. Tanveer pointed out that if the proposed amendments restrict trade bodies to municipal city limits only, industrial estates, SME clusters at the tehsil level, and export units operating in rural areas would lose effective representation. This, he warned, would marginalize a large segment of the business community.
He further expressed concern that abolishing district chambers would dismantle an institutional framework built over many years, negatively impacting local business activity and potentially reducing employment opportunities.
Economic and Social Consequences
Highlighting global best practices, S.M. Tanveer said that district chambers play a crucial role in developing business clusters in line with international economic models. In developed economies, industries are integrated at the local level to stimulate regional economic growth. He cautioned that adopting an opposite approach in Pakistan could prove counterproductive.
He added that the proposed amendments would particularly harm women entrepreneurs and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), as these groups already operate with limited resources and often struggle to access representation through large city-based chambers.
Call for Review of Proposed Amendments
S.M. Tanveer urged lawmakers to carefully review the bill and avoid taking steps that would weaken district-level business representation. He emphasized that district chambers are the backbone of the national economy, and eliminating them could have disastrous consequences for local industry, trade, and exports.
