ISLAMABAD, Dec 4: A Senate body on Thursday took strong exception to grant of licence to the Dry Battery Manufacturer Association of Sindh saying that presently no manufacturing is being done in the country.

“Dry batteries are either imported or being smuggled into Pakistan. How come they have been granted licence?” the Sub-Committee of the Senate Standing Committee on Commerce said.

The committee met here with its Convenor Zafar Iqbal Chaudhary in the chair. The meeting reviewed the process of grant of licences to various chambers of commerce and industry besides trade associations in the country.

The commerce ministry officials submitted that the association attached a certificate from the Government of Sindh on the basis of which it was granted a licence. The convenor directed to issue a show-cause notice to the association immediately and to conduct a probe into the matter.

The meeting was also critical of the chambers and the associations where representation had become a family affair. “We must strive to bring forward genuine representatives of the industry.”

The convenor said it was the endeavour of the committee to enable genuine representatives of traders and industrialists to have a voice through these federations and associations so that they may able to work for resolution of the problems being faced by the industrialists and traders.

He directed the commerce ministry to evolve fool-proof mechanism in this regard. He also instructed that a check list be prepared to provide a set of guidelines for conducting future inspections.