KARACHI, Oct 25: A meeting between a three-member delegation of War Risk Insurance Committee, London, and the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) could not be held on Thursday as delegation members opted not to attend the meeting.

As a result of this, the delegations’ another meeting with members of the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) in the evening was also cancelled.

The delegation has arrived in Pakistan to discuss the impact on war risk premium on Pakistan foreign trade, levied by international shipping lines and the insurance companies following the September 11 tragic incident in the US.

Both FPCCI and KCCI did not send any statements regarding cancellation of these two important meetings.

The EPB had arranged this meeting with the FPCCI and KCCI but it had also not sent any statement or handout about the cancellation of the two meetings. They (EPB, FPCCI and KCCI) even did not inform the media about the meeting being held with the visiting delegation in a day or two.

Trade sources told Dawn on Thursday that the foreigners were concerned over the presence of press photographers and businessmen invited by the FPCCI.

War Committee members said that they were expecting their meeting with only two or three main representatives of the business community instead of a large gathering and mediamen. Later on they also cancelled their KCCI visit as well.

The sources said that an EPB official had informed the KCCI about the cancellation of the meeting by telephone soon after the incident at the FPCCI. The KCCI in its invitation to newspapers had invited the reporters and photographers for the coverage of the meeting.

The chairman, Export Trade Committee of the FPCCI, Liaquat Y. Jangda, who chaired the meeting in the FPCCI, told Dawn that he asked the committee members not to boycott the meeting and assured them of no media coverage, but they left the FPCCI premises.

He blamed the EPB officials concerned, mismanagement and miscommunication in arranging the meeting for inconvenience caused to both committee members and local businessmen. He said the FPCCI had sent a letter to the EPB high-ups to take notice of the situation.