UBG urges DGTO to announce verdict, declare Khalid Tawab as winner

MUHAMMAD SHAFA

KARACHI: United Business Group (UBG) on Monday urged the Director General Trade Organisations (DGTO) to announce the verdict on the Presidential slot of Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) on merit basis without further delay, and declare Khalid Tawab as president FPCCI for the year 2021.

The demand came at the press conference at Karachi Press Club.

They urged the DGTO to cancel what they called ‘3 invalid’ votes (2 of Loralai Chamber and 1 sealed vote of Pak-Afghan Chamber) given in favour of the opponent group - Businessmen Panel’s candidate Nasir Hayat Magoon - who is currently serving as president FPCCI.

The UBG representatives including Khalid Tawab, Zubair F Tufail, Hanif Gohar, Mirza Ikhtiar Baig, and others spoke to the presser.

They said in the Elections-2021 of FPCCI held on December 30, 2020 their Presidential candidate Khalid Tawab secured majority votes and thus should have been declared as President FPCCI-2021 having been elected.

At the time of election in final vote count, they claimed that their candidate Khalid Tawab secured 178 votes as against Nasir Hayat Magoon who secured 177 votes which included 2 invalid votes of Loralai Chamber in his favour. Even though the letter of December 16, 2020 the DGTO clearly disallowed Loralai Chamber to cast vote in FPCCI elections, they said.

They said bias of the election commission was further evident when they illegally added an invalid sealed vote of Pak-Afghan Chamber in favour of Nasir Hayat Magoon thereby declaring both candidates with 178 votes each in the presence of all polling agents of both the parties.

In the AGM of FPCCI held on December 31, 2020, it was surprising that the evidently bias and pressurised election commission announced BMP candidate Nasir Hayat Magoon as winner allowing 2 invalid votes as valid which were unanimously declared invalid by the Election Commission in the presence of all polling agents of both parties.

Based on merit and documentary evidence provided in various hearing with DGTO Islamabad and his written reply to the Sindh High Court, DGTO submitted in writing that the Loralai Chamber and Pak-Afghan Chamber votes are not valid. Just before announcement of the verdict, BMP approached the SHC on March 19, 2021 and challenged the proceedings of the DGTO. However, the SHC rejected the plea and dismissed the suit on May 19, 2021 which was obviously filed to prolong the illegal sitting of Nasir Hayat Magoon as President FPCCI.

They said the court declared that the suit is not maintainable and that the matter has to be decided by the Regulator Ministry of Commerce Government of Pakistan in accordance with the T.O Act and rules 2013.

They said the DGTO has been pressurised by both political and non-political forces.