KARACHI: The Businessmen Alliance on Wednesday called for fresh polls in KCCI within 60 days, citing the decision of Directorate General of Trade Organizations (DGTO) annulling the incumbent body.
Chairman BMA, Asif Sakhi with other trade leaders including Sharjeel Goplani, Saifullah Khan, Waseq Hussain Khan, Arshad Khurshid, Muhammad Ahmed Shamsi, Rashid Khan, Minhaj Gulfam, Yaqoob Bali, Muhammad Ismail Lalpuriya held a significant press conference at the Karachi Press Club to raise the issue.
The event highlighted the Directorate General of Trade Organizations’ (DGTO) decision to annul the 2024 elections of the Karachi Chamber of Commerce & Industry (KCCI) and revealed key details about an alleged group controlling the chamber.
Speaking at the press conference, BMA representatives said that the DGTO has declared the 2024-26 KCCI elections null and void in response to serious legal objections raised by the Businessmen Alliance (BMA). The organization has mandated that fresh elections be conducted within 60 days to ensure transparency and compliance with regulatory provisions, they added.
To uphold fairness in the electoral process, the DGTO has recommended that the Secretary of the Ministry of Commerce appoint an administrator to oversee the new elections. The goal is to ensure that the polls are conducted impartially and that all procedural irregularities and stakeholder concerns are addressed, according to trade leaders.
They said that additionally, the DGTO has instructed the KCCI Secretary-General to immediately issue updated voter lists for both corporate and associate membership categories. The chamber must submit a compliance report within seven days of the order, failing which strict regulatory action will be taken.
This decision follows a formal complaint filed by Arshad Khurshid and several others, alleging significant irregularities in the 2024-26 KCCI elections. The complainants highlighted that the provisional voter list, issued on July 15, 2024, was not in accordance with established regulations. Notably, the list failed to differentiate between corporate and associate members, leading to confusion and ambiguity, the BMA leaders said.
The complainants argued that this violation of electoral rules hindered their ability to participate fairly in the elections. With no response from the KCCI Secretary-General or the Election Commission, they took the matter to the DGTO. Upon review, the DGTO found substantial merit in their claims and concluded that fundamental flaws in the voter list and other procedural lapses rendered the elections invalid, they said.
They expressed satisfaction over the DGTO’s ruling. They emphasized that their longstanding demand for separate elections for corporate and associate members had been acknowledged. According to BMA, the alleged “control group” within KCCI had repeatedly violated these rules, manipulating the electoral process by unilaterally selecting preferred candidates instead of conducting fair elections.
The alliance claimed that any independent member or group attempting to contest KCCI elections was disqualified, leading to frustration and disappointment among chamber members.
BMA has urged the DGTO to conduct a comprehensive forensic audit of KCCI’s finances, alleging financial irregularities by the chamber’s current leadership. The alliance promised to disclose further details on these alleged discrepancies at an appropriate time.
Additionally, it has called for a thorough review of KCCI’s voter lists, ensuring that they are reorganized and made accessible to all members and candidates. They have demanded that future elections be conducted under DGTO’s direct supervision to prevent manipulation.
BMA leaders warned that the “control group” at KCCI is expected to challenge the DGTO’s decision in court. Should this occur, they plan to appeal to the Chief Justice of Pakistan to uphold the DGTO’s ruling and expedite fresh elections for KCCI.
The alliance also raised concerns about KCCI’s membership fees, noting that while the official fee stands at Rs1,200, members are currently charged Rs5,000. They alleged that the chamber leadership was benefiting from government-provided incentives without passing on the benefits to members, unlike other chambers such as the Sialkot Chamber of Commerce, which allocates resources for the welfare of its members.
BMA urged the business community to take decisive action to bring change within KCCI. They criticized the chamber’s failure to promote local and international business opportunities for traders and industrialists, stating that KCCI has neglected key sectors while favoring specific industries like bottled water companies and textile manufacturers.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
