Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Commerce has been unable to provide six names to the prime minister for establishing the Board of Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) despite seven months having passed.

Sources told this scribe that TDAP work has been stalled for the last seven months due to a non-functioning Board as many important matters, including revamping of TDAP are pending the approval of the board. According to the rules, the chairman must hold a BOD meeting not less than once every three months but no meeting has been conducted since April.

Sources said that TDAP sent a summary to the Ministry of Commerce to establish the TDAP board few months back but the ministry did not send the name of proposed private sector member to the prime minister. The ministry has to send 18 names of members and the prime minister will select 6 of those names.

According to documents available with Daily Times, TDAP’s fifth board meeting was held on 22 April 2016 in which six issues related to trade, financing, hiring were discussed. The tenure of six private sector members had expired in April and no new member has been appointed since. The members were President Federation of Pakistan Chamber of Commerce and industries Abdul Rauf Alam, Muhammad Nassem Shafi, Muhamamd Ali Tabba, Shahid Soorty, Faud Garib and the CEO of the Farmers Association of Pakistan.

The TDAP is the sole trade body in the country that organises international trade exhibitions and expos in Pakistan and around the world to explore new markets for Pakistani products to boost exports.