The grip of the Businessmen Forum of Senator Bilour on Wednesday further strengthened on the affairs of the Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) after the unopposed election of its whole five candidates panel for the executive committee of the premier trade body of the province.
Addressing a press conference at the Mohsin Hall of the Sarhad Chamber, Senator Ilyas Ahmad Bilour announced that all five candidates of his panel had been declared elected unopposed after all candidates belonging to the rival group of Faiz Rasool Group withdrew their nominations in favour of his candidate and joined his Businessmen Forum.
Those who were present on the occasion included SCCI President, Adeel Rauf, Colonel Syed Khizer Hayat (Retd), Haji Muhammad Afzal, Aftab Iqbal, Mazhar-ul-Haq and four newly elected members of the executive committee.
The candidates, who have been declared elected unopposed to the executive committee of SCCI are Asim-ur-Rehman, Mian Iftikhar Hussain, Muhammad Amin Mohmand, Zia-ul-Haq Sarhadi and Khurram Shehzad.
With the election of the whole panel of the Businessmen Forum the strength of the rival group has decreased to only three.
Senator Bilour said that the candidates nominated by the rival group had withdrawn in favour of their candidates as the leader of the group had already quit the leadership.
However, he said the cronies of the group were planning to play the game through other peoples and filed the nominations of some humble businessmen.
He said Haji Haleem Jan, Haji Adeel, Ghulam Ali and Malik Mehr Elahi leaders of the rival group instead of contesting on their own brought people, who were actually our friends.
He thanked all those who withdrew in favour of candidates of his panel and pave way for the unopposed elections of his nominees.
Bilour, a former president of the Federation of Pakistan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) and leader of the Businessmen Forum, said that there was no grouping in his group and like the unopposed elections of the members of the executive committee the office bearers would also be elected unanimously.
In response to a question, Bilour said the purpose of their politics of business community was only to bring improvement in the industrial and trade activities. He said that the president of the chamber would be fully independent to exercise his authority.
Furthermore, he said that during last one year they had given equal treatment to all members including those belong to the opposition group. He attributed the joining of the supporters of the rival group into his group to the fair play carried out during last one year.
Regarding the formation of Tribal Area Chamber of Commerce and Industry (TACCI), he said that it should have been established in the jurisdiction of the tribal belt.
In reply to a question regarding membership, he said that record number of traders and industrialists had been given membership in the history of the chamber.
He said that 290 businessmen had been given full membership and 865 as associate membership.
He said that during in past 50 years 500 businessmen were given membership, but in one year a large number of 290 have been given membership.
He said that the membership committee had to look into the legal requirements before giving membership saying that the pending applications were only due to the lack of documentation.
To a question regarding the future president of Sarhad Chamber, he said that only a capable and competent person would be nominated for the office of the future president.
However, he said that it was to early to say that he would be either from trade group or industrialists. He said that industrialists had been proved more successful presidents and than traders.
Giving details of the achievement of the SCCI during last one-year, president SCCI Adeel Rauf said after his election they fixed targets and worked with full power towards their achievement.
He said the SCCI in collaboration with Small and Medium Entrepreneurs Development Authority (Smeda) established a Industry and Trade Advisory Cell (ITAC), which not only brought a number of the new entrepreneurs to the chamber but the prevailing problems of the trade and industry were also resolved into some extent.
He said that during one year tenure approved four projects from federal government; establishment of Marble and Granite Institute, warehouse at Pakistan-Afghan border at Torkham, display centre and achievement of 25 percent inland freight subsidy.
Similarly, he said that the holding of the industrial fairs was a routine matter in provincial capital.
However, we agreed the government to ban the holding of such exhibitions and hold only one such event, which would also be held after taking business community into confidence.
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