The Pakistan Solar Association (PSA) has clarified that no order has been issued by the Director-General of Trade Organisations (DGTO) or any other authority to suspend its activities or cease its operations.
PSA Chairman, Amir Chaudhry, in a statement issued in response to certain news reports taking rounds on the reported revocation of the association’s license, clarified that the directives in question issued by the DGTO hadn’t been based on merit as the authority had merely sent its recommendations to the federal government.
He said the PSA worked in compliance with the Trade Organisation Act-2013 and Trade Organisation Rules-2013
He maintained that the PSA had duly submitted its records summoned by the DGTO.
He said the DGTO had issued the order in question without allowing the concerned members and lawyers of the PSA to present their case. He claimed that the DGTO had issued the order based on a baseless complaint filed by certain people who were not even members of the PSA. These complaints were submitted as a counter-move after the PSA objected to the registration of another association related to the clean energy sector, he said.
The PSA’s point of view was that there is no need to register a new body to represent the solar power industry when it has already been working as the duly registered association for the same purpose. The PSA wouldn’t have objected if the new body had represented any other sector of clean energy other than solar power. However, the sponsor of the new organisation also belongs to the solar industry as he doesn’t do any other business related to the alternative energy sector.
The PSA Chairman was of the view that the order in question of the DGTO lacked finality as the association was also filing an appeal to the federal government for a review. The appeal process would suspend the DGTO’s order.
He said the PSA comprising over 600 members was the only bona fide and duly registered body, which had been sincerely working since 2015 for the protection, promotion, and growth of the clean energy sector in general and solar power industry in particular in Pakistan.
PSA clarifies no order issued for suspension of its activities, ceasing of its operations
