SAHIWAL, May 14: The ministry of commerce has granted a licence to the Sahiwal Chamber of Commerce & Industry (SCCI) to work as an independent trade body under section 3 (2)(b) of the Trade Organisations Ordinance, 2007.

This is the first-ever licence given to any trade body in Punjab for representing simultaneously two districts, namely Sahiwal and Pakpattan, sources told Dawn.

In 2000, a few businessmen led by Chaudhry Safdar Rasheed initiated the idea of setting up a chamber of commerce and industry in Sahiwal.

Iftikhar Malik, vice-president, Saarc Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Chaudhry Nauroze Shakoor, former minister for petroleum, translated this idea into a reality by pushing the Sahiwal case with Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

The licence empowers SCCI to represent trade, commerce, industry or any other related service in Sahiwal and the adjoining district of Pakpattan.

SCCI president Chaudhry Sultan Mahmood said that the development of a 150-acre national industrial park, a wood seasoning plant, a fruit processing unit, a dye-making unit along with shaping of the cottage industry on ‘one-village one-product’ concept will be priorities of the chamber’s programme.