KARACHI, June 6: The Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) has taken strong exception to the ‘mushroom growth’ of business forums and alliances and termed them ‘illegal and unauthorized’.

Lately a number of business forums had been established outside the FPCCI’s umbrella and were actively working and holding their annual functions and award-giving ceremonies for their members, it said.

These forums, enjoying foreign missions patronage, have assumed the role of parallel trade bodies, which directly undermine the FPCCI’s role as an apex body of trade and industry. The Ministry of Commerce, as far back as 1993, had authorized the FPCCI to conclude agreements with foreign trade bodies for the establishment of bilateral trade and industry committees and joint economic cooperation committees.

Most of these forums and alliances also hold elections to elect office-bearers and hold annual functions and dinners and also distribute awards to members for their outstanding performance in exports and trade.

Presently, around half a dozen forums are working under the patronage of different foreign missions and prominent among them are: Pakistan-Japan Business Fourm, Pakistan-France Business Alliance, Pakistan-Italy forum and Pakistan-German business forum.

A new addition to such business forums is Pak-Korea Business Forum, which is being inaugurated on Saturday (June 7, 2003), by the Consul General of Republic of Korea Mr In Pil Chun.

However, the president, FPCCI, Riaz Ahmed Tata, has strongly protested over the development. In a letter to the Consul-General of Republic of Korea the FPCCI chief drew the attention of the Korean diplomat towards ‘unauthorized activities of certain business forums.’

In a way the FPCCI president has suggested to the Korean diplomat to refrain from patronizing the upcoming forum....”I have come to know that your goodself is inaugurating one such unauthorized business forum i.e. Pak-Korea Business Forum on June 7, 2003. This news has given a rude shock to us and we are all dismayed at your decision.”

Riaz Ahmed Tata went on to say : “as the authority of establishing bilateral trade and industry bodies fall under the ambit of FPCCI, it had set up joint economic cooperation committees or joint business council with a number of friendly foreign countries including the Republic of Korea.”

He pointed out that all these organizations were working smoothly to the dismay of certain vested interests who seem to be more interested in personal gains rather than collective gain or national interest.

“I feel that these illegal activities must be stopped, otherwise a flood gate will open where every independent body and association shall start functioning without having members or No Objection Certificate from FPCCI and registration under the umbrella of law of the land,” the FPCCI president maintained in his letter to the Korean diplomat.

In a circular addressed to members, managing committee, FPCCI life members, and member bodies the apex body of trade and industry has urged them to only support official trade bodies and should play their rightful part to activate vigorously the existing councils and committees working under the auspices of FPCCI and wherever necessary set up new business councils.

It has also reminded them about the deliberations and the outcome of the FPCCI’s managing committee meeting held on May 8, 2003, in Lahore, in the meeting it was stated that FPCCI does not recognize or support the activities of Business Forums and Alliances started by some un-authorised persons in Karachi and Islamabad.

The FPCCI circular maintained that their existence outside the FPCCI umbrella can only be termed as illegal and is causing a great confusion among foreign chambers and business people locally as well as abroad. Their parallel activities have also undermined FPCCI’s position in many ways.

Consequently, the only legitimate organizations are FPCCI’s Business Councils & Trade and Industry Committees formed for various countries, under the Ministry of Commerce’s Charter and the Constitution approved by the competent authority, the circular maintained.