The Food Authority and Excise Department must comply with the government’s decision. Khalid Chaudhry

Uniform implementation of the government decision should be ensured across all relevant departments. Raja Zulfiqar, Yasir Abbasi

Traders in Islamabad will not apply for new trade licenses. Shehzad Abbasi, Ajab Gul 

Islamabad (City Reporter) Ajmal Baloch, President of the All Pakistan Traders Association and the Traders Action Committee Islamabad, along with Secretary of the Traders Action Committee Islamabad and Chairman of the ICCI Committee Khalid Mahmood Chaudhry, Imad bin Aref, Shehzad Abbasi, Ahmad Khan, Asad Aziz, Raja Zulfiqar, Ajab Gul, Waheed Cheema, Rana Bilal, Safdar Abbasi, Waleed Khalid Yousaf Rajput, Mahtab Abbasi, Shahbaz Khokhar, Zahir Abbasi, Muhammad Nauman, Kamran Kakakhel, Raja Safeer, Malik Naeem, Ismail Khan, Qamar Abbasi, Raja Zahid Dhanyal, Ihtisham Kiani, Riaz Khan, Usman Khan, Abdul Rahman Siddiqui, Nazir Awan, Shahid Abbasi, Naeem Awan, Raja Atif, Safeer Abbasi, Chaudhry Kamran, Amir Bukhari, Mehr Allah Dad, Akhtar Abbasi, Chaudhry Riyasat, Umar Khayyam, Naeem Awan, Muzaffar Hashmi, Abdullah Ismail, Chaudhry Zafar Iqbal, Azhar Iqbal, Jameel Qureshi stated that the federal cabinet’s subcommittee has abolished the requirement for trade licenses for businesses in the Islamabad Capital Territory. The trading community is grateful to the federal government for this important and business-friendly decision.
Ajmal Baloch stated that the abolition of the trade license requirement was a long-standing demand of the traders in Islamabad. This decision will relieve business individuals from unnecessary paperwork, running around various offices, and additional financial burdens. It is now the responsibility of the Chief Commissioner of Islamabad to ensure complete and uniform implementation of the federal government’s decision across all subordinate institutions and relevant departments.
He emphasized that it is not enough for just one department to issue a notification. All relevant institutions in ICT should be issued written and clear instructions so that government officials do not interpret them differently and traders do not face notices, challans, fines, or harassment in the name of trade licenses.
Khalid Mahmood Chaudhry mentioned that Dr. Inam Fatima, Director of DMA, has issued a formal notification abolishing the trade license requirement; however, the Excise and Taxation Department and Islamabad Food Authority have not yet issued clear notifications regarding their jurisdiction.

All trader representatives stressed that both the Excise and Taxation Department and Islamabad Food Authority are under the Chief Commissioner of ICT. The Chief Commissioner should immediately instruct both departments to issue clear notifications regarding the abolition of licenses or related business requirements in light of the federal government’s decision. Due to delays from the departments, there is unrest and concern within the trading community.
They stated that it is inappropriate for different departments to adopt separate procedures within the same federal territory. A clear interpretation of the government decision should be communicated to all departments, field offices, and relevant officials. Until a notification is issued, no trader should receive a notice or fine for not obtaining a license, nor should there be any obstruction to business activities.

The trader representatives also stated that the trading community fully supports the federal government’s decision, but the real benefit of this decision will only be realized when it is practically implemented across all departments. Delays or partial implementation of government decisions complicate traders’ issues rather than resolving them.

They demanded that the Chief Commissioner of Islamabad convene an immediate meeting of all relevant departments, set a clear timeline for the implementation of the government decision, and issue a unified written order for all markets and commercial centers.

Trader representatives stated that following the decision of the federal cabinet’s subcommittee and the notification issued by DMA, traders in Islamabad will not apply for new trade licenses. If any department or official attempts to harass traders in the name of trade licenses, issue notices, or impose fines, trader organizations will raise a joint and vigorous voice against it.