ISLAMABAD, March 3: The Foreign Currency Association (Small Capital) of Pakistan here Wednesday called upon the Governor, State Bank of Pakistan, to fulfil his promises to its constituents or face a protest 'Dharna' in Islamabad.

Money changers from all over Pakistan would stage the "dharna" along with their wives and children unless they were assured of the security of their business by the SBP chief.

Addressing a press conference, the Association's President, Mr Zafar Iqbal Butt and other office-bearers recalled that the SBP Governor had given the assurance that all the licensed money changers would be licensed as the "B" Grade Exchange Companies and allowed to continue their business on the existing terms.

The money changers, they said, had never been involved in any kind of money laundering nor would they ever do so in future. Since, however, the Governor of SBP did not fulfil his promise, some self-seekers in collusion with the relevant officials of the central bank had set in motion a plot to obliterate the money changers altogether, it was alleged.

In a resolution presented on the occasion, the Association contended that the traders doing business with less than Rs2.5 million could not obtain franchise of any exchange company.

This requires a capital of Rs10 million. These money changers were not in a position to meet this and other criteria of "exchange company", it reiterated.