The Gohar Ejaz group has bagged all the six seats from Punjab in the Central Management Committee (CMC) of All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (APTMA) unopposed after withdrawal of nominations by the opponents. According to the reliable sources, the opponents of the Gohar Ejaz group have withdrawn their nominations from the Punjab zone before September 13, the due date for withdrawal of nominations as per the election schedule.
Resultantly, all the six nominees of the Gohar Ejaz group including Amir Fayyaz, Ali Ahsan, Shahid Mazhar Puri, Imran Aslam, Umar Nazar Shah and Shehzad Ahmed Sheikh have qualified for the office of central managing committee APTMA unopposed. Sources said chances are high that the Gohar Ejaz group would also face no resistance in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa zone where nominations for one CMC seat have already been filed.
However, so far as five seats of Sindh zone for the APTMA CMC are concerned, the contest may take place in case no formal withdrawal of nomination takes place until September 13. Sources said the Gohar Ejaz group is in a comfortable position to secure all the five seats in the Sindh zone as well in case a direct contest takes place there.
According the industry sources, the Gohar Ejaz group has emerged as champion of the industry issues by fighting hard to the quarters concerned throughout last three years. Right from the Free Market Mechanism to energy supply to textile industry, reduction in interest rate, introduction of Technology Up gradation Fund Scheme and infrastructural development for LNG terminal to import gas from alternate sources, the APTMA leadership has been on the front foot and never let the government to take a lame excuse on these issues.
They said the Gohar Ejaz group has also held a detailed meeting with those the mills running on independent feeders last week and strategy is ready to pursue the government for winning exemption from electricity load shedding ahead. It is learnt on good authority that the group leader Gohar Ejaz is in Karachi to attend a dinner of his group after securing all the six seats in the Punjab zone for APTMA CMC.