With the release of final voters' list, the election of office-bearers of the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) for the two-year term ie, 2009/2010, has entered the conclusive stage. For all intents and purposes, Sultan Chawala, who has been nominated for the President's slot by Businessmen Panel headed by Tariq Sayeed, appears heading unchallenged to occupy the office on February 1, 2009.
A belated attempt made by certain quarters to create a situation which could lead to further postponement of the election process, failed and the polling would now take place on January 30, and the elected office-bearers would be inducted into office on February 1.
Traditionally, the elections take place in the month of December, and the new team is to be inducted in the office on January 1. The election process was proceeding as per past precedents, but suddenly the Director General Trade Organisations (DGTO) announced postponement for one month, without mentioning any reasons. This was seen among trade circles as a move to accommodate some businessmen from the backdoor, but nothing came out of this covert action.
Even the Senate subcommittee on commerce had shot down the issue of reassessing the authenticity of the licences granted by DGTO to associations and chambers when it was brought before the committee early this week. Several of the independent associations, which were included in the list of fake associations and their authenticity was challenged by a businessmen's group, expressed their support for Businessmen Panel's candidates.
While Tariq Sayeed, who heads the Businessmen Panel, is actively engaged in electioneering, his rival group, namely Businessmen Forum headed by Senator Ilyas Bilour, continues to be in a state of somnolence. In fact, ostracised members of his group have started shifting to Businessmen Panel. One big name is that of Fazal Qadar Shirani, a former president of Quetta Chamber of Commerce and Industry, who has joined Businessmen Panel.
Shakeel Dhingra, spokesman of Businessmen Panel, claimed that out of 76 associations 66 associations and out of 32 chambers 25 are with the Businessmen Panel. He claimed that it would be a clean sweep for his group in the ensuing elections. Tariq Sayeed told Business Recorder on telephone from Sialkot on Friday that his group has nominated Zakaria Usman, Mian Mansha, Mumtaz Khan, Sheikh Mohammad Idrees and Aftab Barlas for the post of Vice-Presidents. Rest of the nominations would be made on Saturday. He was to hold a meeting with the voters from Punjab, NWFP and Balochistan on Friday evening, and with those from Sindh on Saturday in Karachi to finalise the names of remaining Vice-Presidents.
Meanwhile, on January 21, the DGTO disposed of two appeals--one filed by Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry against Tribal Areas Chamber of Commerce and Industry and others, and the other filed by Ghazanfar Bilour against Fazal Elahi and others.
Sarhad Chamber had filed the appeal against the decision of the election commission of FPCCI, wherein names of respondents, Tribal Areas Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Muhammad Akbar Khan and Badri Zaman have been included in the voters' list of the FPCCI elections for the term February 2009 to December 2010. In his order, the DGTO said he felt incompetent and without jurisdiction to adjudicate on this appeal. "The appeal was, therefore, disposed off in these terms. The parties to the dispute may avail such legal remedies as available to them under the normal law of the land for the time being in force."
Similarly, Ghazanfar Bilour in his appeal had alleged that respondents Fazal Elahi and others did not qualify to be nominated in FPCCI to represent Dera Ismail Khan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, as they were carrying out their business activities in Peshawar, instead of Dera Ismail Khan. The DGTO held that, after a minute examination of the membership register and other documents, the respondents were not eligible for representation of Dera Ismail Khan Chamber of Commerce and Industry in FPCCI elections.