LAHORE, Sept 18: The All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (Aptma) once again stood divided on Thursday over the issue of election of its central chairman from Sindh for 2003-04 as former FPCCI chairman Mian Habibullah and current Aptma chairman Anjum Salim were accused of having bulldozed the election process.

“It is nothing but a daylight robbery the way Mian Habibullah and Anjum Salim have chosen to bulldoze the whole process and betray the trust of Aptma members to get their nominee elected unopposed,” former Aptma chairman Mohsin Aziz told this reporter from Islamabad while commenting on the declaration of Waqar Monnoo as new chairman of the organization. He said the papers of the other candidate for the office, Shahid Tata, had been withdrawn through deception.

Shahid and Waqar had filed their papers for the office of central chairman of the Aptma. Shahid, who is a son of another former Aptma chairman Anaar Tata from Sindh, is said be enjoying immense popularity in Aptma (Sindh) and had with the help of Aptma (Punjab) members Gohar Ejaz and Umar Virk successfully managed to win over the support of major textile groups from Punjab to ensure his victory in the election scheduled for Sept 25.

However, the sources said, Mian Habibullah had approached Shahid’s father to propose that an ‘arbitration’ committee be formed to chose one of the two candidates on merit to hold the office this year instead of going for polling. Mian Habibullah is said to have promised Anwaar that the committee would have senior Aptma members like Mian Tariq Saigol as its members.

On the basis of the commitment given by the former chairman of the FPCCI, both the candidates submitted to him their withdrawals. However, Shahid’s supporters say, instead of forming a bipartisan, neutral committee Mian Habibullah on his own constituted a committee of Aptma members who were actually proposes and seconders of Waqar for the office.

“The members of the committee were selected arbitrarily without even informing Anwaar Tata. Obviously the committee picked up Waqar and withdrew nomination of Shahid on the basis of the withdrawal declaration obtained from him through deception,” they said.

When Anwaar came to know about it, he immediately sent a letter to the Aptma office in Lahore that his son would contest the elections and the withdrawal papers filed on his behalf be treated as void. The letter was faxed at 11.30, long before the expiry of time. However, Anwaar alleges, those who wanted to favour the opponent of his son did not take action because they were in charge of the things at that moment and declared Waqar as elected unopposed.

Anwaar, a senior businessman, told Dawn from Karachi that Mian Habibullah and outgoing Aptma chairman Anjum Salim had deceived him to obtain withdrawal of his son’s nomination. He said he was never informed about the constitution of the committee nor its members. “They have played foul and we will move the court to seek remedy,” he said.