The president of Mardan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI) has demanded of the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) and director trade organisations (DTO) to intervene into the matters of their chamber to retrieve it from the occupation of the qabza group.
The demand was made by the President of Mardan Chamber of Commerce and Industry Haji Sultan Muhammad while addressing a press conference here at Peshawar Press Club (PPC) on Wednesday.
He was also flanked by Ehsanullah Bacha, president of the Traders United Front Mardan beside a large of number of other representatives of the trading community.
Haji Sultan Muhammad said that the elections for the office bearers of the chamber were held on September 29 last year, in which he was elected unopposed as the documents of his rival candidate Arshad Manan were rejected by the election committee on ground that he was not the member of executive committee.
He said that in October last year, he assumed the charge of the president office of the chamber and went to Lahore in connections with some business oriented engagements and on return found the office locked and occupied by the rival group.
Haji Sultan Muhammad said that he is the constitutionally elected president of the chamber as he enjoys the support of 18 members of the 30-member executive committee, who have even submitted their affidavit to Peshawar High Court. He said that rival group has occupied the record of the chamber.
He said that according to an agreement reached out between three groups ie industry group, associate group and trade group, the three groups have to share the offices of president, senior vice president and vice president.
One group has to get the office of president, while the posts of senior and vice presidents would be distributed between associate and trade group.
According to the compromise reached out among the three groups the offices of senior and vice presidents were distributed and the coveted slot of the president was the right of the trade group for which, Haji Sultan Muhammad was candidate and elected unopposed.
The two remaining candidates for the posts of senior and vice presidents, who were Haji Shabirzada and Syed Mahmood Shah were also elected unopposed as senior and vice presidents respectively.
He said that the offices of Mardan Chamber are housed in a building of Saleem Group of Industries and during his stay in Lahore the rival group sacked, Muhammad Nazir, deputy secretary of chamber and replaced him with a retired Subaidar Amanullah, a retired employee of the Saleem Group of Industries.
The Saleem Group has directed Amanullah not to allow any executive committee member of the Haji Sultan Muhammad Group.
Similarly, the watchman of the building has also been directed not to allow the entry of his supporters.
The group has again elevated Haji Shabirzada to work at a time on the posts of president and senior vice president and their employee Syed Mahmood Shah is running the affairs of the office of vice president.
Haji Sultan Muhammad alleged that through a fraudulent mean Shabirzada was given the two offices of president and senior vice president and it was claimed that I was being removed through the passage of a no-confidence vote.
Revealing further examples to prove that Mardan Chamber has become a sister organisation of Saleem Group of Industries, he said Amala Ghee though situated in Industrial Estate Peshawar, but has been shown as member of the Mardan Chamber. The unit is also member of the Sarhad Chamber.
He also alleged massive violation of the constitution of the chamber by the Saleem Group of Industries, saying that a member is elected for a period of three years. But members of the qabza group like Haji Masood-ur-Rehman, Faisal Saleem and Mujeeb-ur-Rehman are consecutive members since 1997 and allow no other industrialist to become member of the chamber.
The president of Mardan chamber demanded of the government of Pakistan, FPCCI and director trade organisations (DTO) to take notice of these unconstitutional and illegal steps of Saleem Group of Industries and nullify their measures.
He also demanded the shifting of the office of Mardan chamber from the building of Saleem Group to a neutral venue.