Patron-in-Chief of the United Business Group (UBG) at FPCCI, S.M. Tanveer, has expressed serious concern over the bill presented in the National Assembly regarding amendments to the Trade Organisations Rules 2013. He warned that any changes to the law could lead to the closure of several representative trade bodies across the country.

While speaking with UBG Sindh Regional Chairman Sheikh Khalid Tawab, S.M. Tanveer said that the business environment is already facing internal and external trade pressures, high production costs, import restrictions, and policy uncertainty. At such a time, he cautioned, attempts to limit the scope of trade organisations could further weaken business confidence.

According to him, Chambers of Commerce and Industry serve as effective platforms for the business community, where industrialists, exporters, and small business owners collectively raise their voices to advance common interests.

S.M. Tanveer stated that if the proposed law restricts trade bodies to municipal city limits only, industrial estates, SME clusters at the tehsil level, and export units operating in rural areas would be deprived of effective representation.

The UBG Patron-in-Chief expressed concern that abolishing district chambers would dismantle the institutional framework that has been built over many years. This, he said, would not only affect local business activities but could also shrink employment opportunities.

He further noted that district chambers play a key role in developing business clusters in line with global economic models. In developed economies, industries are organised and integrated at the local level to promote regional economic activity. Adopting the opposite approach in Pakistan, he warned, could prove harmful.

S.M. Tanveer also stated that the move would particularly deal a severe blow to women entrepreneurs and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), as these groups already operate with limited resources and often find it difficult to access large city-level chambers.

He urged lawmakers to review the bill and refrain from taking any steps that would weaken the system of business representation at the district level. He emphasised that district chambers are the backbone of the economy, and eliminating them could be disastrous for local industry, trade, and exports.