ISLAMABAD, March 17: The ministry of commerce has asked the trade organisations to apply for fresh licence latest by April 15. Only those trade organisations would apply whose licences stand revoked under the Trade Organization Ordinance 2006, according to a commerce ministry notification issued here on Friday.

Through the notification, the ministry notified the new trade organisation rules 2007 for regulating and functioning of the trade bodies.

A trade organisation shall be licensed for a period of three years. The licence shall be renewable for a further three years subject to conditions.

The granting of licence to trade bodies was linked with a series of conditions -- it represents a specific area or trade or industry or service or any combination thereof; in case of a chamber, it has a minimum of 300 prospective or existing members who are either permanently domiciled in the relevant district or have a substantial business interest, such as an industrial concern, a corporate business entity or are being assessed for the purposes of income tax and sales tax in the territorial jurisdiction of the proposed chamber.

While in case of an association, it has 150 prospective or existing members; or where due to the size and nature of trade, industry or service, there are less than 150 potential members but the combined revenue of the sector is significant and the proposal is supported by at least half of the total number of concerns in the respective trade, industry or service; its potential or existing members are stakeholders in the relevant trade or industry or service; and its membership is on all-Pakistan basis unless it has been established to the satisfaction of the federal government that the nature of the trade, industry, service or any combination, thereof, renders it impractical or impossible to have membership on all-Pakistan basis.

In case of a women’s chamber, it has a minimum of 200 potential members; in case of a town association, it has a minimum of 100 prospective or existing members.

These rules also provide, inter alia, the eligibility criteria, procedure, documentation and fee schedule for grant of licence and renewal, thereof.

The rules further prescribe the structure, mode of election of trade bodies and reporting requirements.

The application form to apply for grant of licence can be downloaded from the website — www. commerce.gov.pk -- or collected from the ministry of commerce. The ministry has already up-loaded these rules on its website.