Carriage of Goods by Sea Bill and Sea Carriage Shipping Documents Bill
Leading exporters say the PPP government is trying to change Pakistan’s shipping laws to benefit a few but against the national interest.
The Pakistan Bedwear Exporters Association Chairman Shabbir Ahmed strongly criticized the hush hush meeting of the Standing Committee of the National Assembly on Ports and Shipping in the Hosiery Association office on Dec 8 to change the shipping laws of the country without consulting all stakeholders.
In a statement, he said the Committee had issued notice of the meeting to discuss the Carriage of Goods by Sea Bill, 2011 and Sea Carriage Shipping Documents Bill, 2011, without consulting any of the relevant associations and without giving them a copy of the draft bills.
“This is an attempt by some interested association with relatives in the National Assembly committee to quickly change these laws for their own benefit and without consulting the larger stakeholders like Aptma, towel manufacturers, leather exporters or others and why is the meeting being held in the Hosiery Association office,” he said.
The Bedwear Association chief said Pakistan should not change its laws in contravention to the international conventions it had signed in the past and all the business and trade associations should be informed for an open debate on this issue.
He demanded that the Dec 8 meeting must be postponed immediately and copies of the draft bills must be sent to all the concerned export organisations and then a proper discussion should be held on merits and demerits of the changes that are being proposed.
“The business sector and organisations like FPCCI and Chambers of Commerce of the country are closed due to Muharram holidays and these people are trying to pass a new law without asking anyone, immediately after Ashura,” he said.
Shabbir said he would mobilise all stakeholders and consult them to protest against this underhand attempt to amend the laws, which will hurt everyone, except some vested interests.
Source: The News
