Senator Ilyas Bilour led Businessman Forum (BF) is all set to maintain its monopoly in the annual elections of Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) and electing all candidates unopposed. Ten members of the executive committee including four seats of corporate group, four seats of associate group and one each seat of Town Association Bannu and a women reserve seat are going to become vacant by the end of September 2017.
To fill the vacant seats of the executive committee, 13 candidates had filed 17 nominations for four seats of Corporate Group while 12 candidates had filed 20 nomination papers for four seats of Associate Group. A three-member Election Committee comprising of Sufi Bashir Ahmad Durrani, Zia-ul-Haq Sarhadi and Mohammad Fawad conducted the scrutiny of the nomination papers.
The election committee has accepted the nomination papers of 10 candidates for four executive committee seats of Associate Group category as correct. These candidates are included Zahidullah Shinwari, Faiz Mohammad, Haris Mufti, Malik Imran Ishaq, Mohammad Arshad Siddiqui, Shahid Hussain, Tariq Mahmood, Minhajuddin and Malik Niaz Ahmad.
Similarly, the nominations of Sohail Javed, Malik Niaz Mohammad, Nisar Ahmad, Javed Akhtar, Ihsanullah, Mohammad Arshad Siddiqui, Akbar Ali Khan, Shahid Hussain, Faiz Mohammad and Waqar Ahmad were also accepted after their declaration as correct. Meanwhile, the nominations of Shabnam Munir for the women reserved seats on the executive committee were also declared valid while the nominations of Mohammad Ashfaq were accepted on seats reserved for Association of Trade and Industries, Bannu have also been accepted.
Though according to the election schedule polling for election of candidates of the Executive Committee (Corporate, Associate & Town Association) is due on September 11, 2017, but as per tradition prevailing in the politics of the chamber, all candidates for the executive committee will be elected unopposed.
However, formal final result of election of members of the Executive Committee and Office-bearers will be officially announced at the Annual General Meeting of the Trade Organization called for this purpose within 15 days of the date of polling under the preceding clause but not later than 30th of September 2017.