By Rafiq Vayani
ISLAMABAD: Chairman of the Businessmen Panel of FPCCI and former provincial minister Mian Anjum Nisar, Senior Vice Chairman and former provincial minister, Mian Zahid Hussain, Secretary General Senator Haji Ghulam Ali, Chairman Sindh Zakaria Usman, Shoukat Ahmed and Saquib Fayyaz Magoon while talking to the business community said that Businessmen Panel and Pakistan Business Group joint candidate for Vice President Nazli Abid Nisar had been defeated illegally in the FPCCI election 2018. We congratulate her on her victory in the case filed against this illegality in DGTO and appointment as Vice President in FPCCI.
They said that Federation of Pakistan Chamber of Commerce has accepted nomination papers of Syeda Saeeda Bano from an undetermined chamber, the Women Chamber of Commerce and Industry, East, and allowed her to participate in the election 2018 as contestant for the position of woman vice president, which was illegal.
The BMP leaders in joint statement said that the Election Commission of the FPCCI had passed wrong decision on the appeal of Nazli Abid Nisar on this illegal action and allowed Syeda Saeeda Bano to compete in the election who did not even had the right to vote which was exploitation of the voting right of women traders across country. Permission to contest election was granted to illegal candidate on the basis of favouritism in the Federation which has caused huge suffering to women entrepreneurs.
Nazli Abid Nisar had filed case in DGTO which she won and the decision declared the election of Syed Saeeda Bano as null and void. DGTO has decided the case put in January 2018 on the instructions of Sindh High Court on October 23, 2018 and the written decision stated that acceptance of nomination paper from a chamber with inactive status in DGTO by FPCCI as they supported one particular group. The election of woman vice president stood null and void in the decision and FPCCI has directed to remove Syeda Saeeda Bano and notify Nazli Abid Nisar as returned candidate for remaining tenure of the office.
BMP leaders said that we appreciate the righteous decision of DGTO and hope that Nazli Abid Nisar being the legal representative of business women across country will play her role to promote women’s representation in country’s economy and will take measures to resolve challenges faced by women entrepreneurs of Pakistan. Mian Anjum Nisar and Mian Zahid Hussain said that federation needs to ensure acceptance of legally valid candidates belong to active trade bodies according to DGTO and stop selection of favourite candidates through rigging in the electoral process.
