Karachi, February 28, 2022 (PPI-OT):The Union of Small and Medium Enterprises (UNISAME) has urged the chief executive officer (CEO) of the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority (SMEDA) Hashim Raza to set up a free legal aid committee in the absence of a delayed SME’s ombudsman to enable the SMEs to get free legal assistance for protection of their legal rights. President UNISAME Zulfikar Thaver said the SMEs are not very comfortable as their respective rights are being denied and they are receiving high handedness and step motherly treatment from some of the government agencies officers.

Thaver said of course there are some officers who are extremely kind and good but some of them think no end of themselves and behave rudely for no reason, it is for this reason that the sector is demanding an SME Ombudsman and the SME policy 2021 has promised one but since the policy implementation would take a long time it is best to set up the legal committee. UNISAME has proposed a free legal aid committee to help the sector get legal assistance and get remedy against injustice, corruption and high handedness of officials with the help of a free legal aid committee managed by UNISAME and also having a couple of officers from SMEDA legal department as well for expertise.

UNISAME Council members are fortunate to have leading senior advocates as their members who have offered to voluntarily help in the setting up and functioning of the SME free legal aid committee. Thaver who is the chief of UNISAME is also a senior advocate of high court and a solicitor as well and has offered to serve or head the committee if selected.

Thaver said recently we are receiving many complaints from entrepreneurs and in fact the members have suggested setting up of a SME Police Liaison Committee (SME-LC) on the pattern of CPLC and in this connection he said UNISAME has in hand an old permission given during president Musharaff’s time to set up and run a Rahnuma committee on the pattern of Khidmat committee. UNISAME Council has urged the government to implement the SME policy and set up and establish all the institutions envisaged therein.

For more information, contact:
Union of Small and Medium Enterprises (UNISAME)
75/1 3rd Commercial Street, Phase IV, D.H.A.,
Karachi, Pakistan
Tel: +92-21-35884225-6
Fax: +92-21-35380642
Cell: +92-300-8245307, +92-321-8245307
Email: unisame@gmail.com
Website: http://www.unisame.org/