IHC suspends DG TOs' order to trade organizations for elections schedule

Islamabad: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Friday suspended the decision of the Director General Trade Organizations (DGTO) in which the trade organizations across the country were ordered to submit schedule for election 2023-24.

The DG TO had set July 15 as the date for the trade organizations.

However, Rahim Yar Khan Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Gujranwala Chamber of Commerce and Industry through their lawyer Sheikh Khurram Abbas Advocate moved petitions to the Islamabad High Court and submitted the petitioners were elected last year in October and the term of the office bearers under the Trade Organizations (Amendment) Act, 2022 was extended from one year to two years which meant that the petitioners were entitled to hold their post till October 2024.

They submitted that the DGTO through a letter directed the trade organizations to hold elections under Rules 13 and 19 of the Trade Organizations Act, 2013 which is in violation of the Amendment Act.

After hearing the arguments of the parties, the IHC suspended the order of the Director General of Trade Organizations regarding holding the elections until the next hearing.