RAHIM YAR KHAN: Conditional and controversial elections of the Rahim Yar Khan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (RYKCCI) were held on Thursday despite boycott by a contesting group.

The supporters of Azad Ittehad Group (AIG) set up a protest camp outside the RYKCCI building on Shahbazpur Road wearing black ribbons.

The elections issue has been in litigation since Sept 14 last due to alleged rigging and dissolution of the election commission by the executive body.

Ittehad’s Nadeem Aslam filed a writ petition in the Lahore High Court’s Bahawalpur Bench on Oct 23 on bogus nominations in both Corporate and Associate classes by their rival group.

The writ petition was disposed of by the judge with a direction to the Ministry of Commerce secretaryto decide the appeal of the petitioner filed under Section 21(2) of the Trade Organisation Act, 2013.

There are 92 bogus members out of 558 voters in the final voters list of Corporate Class and 122 bogus members out of 1,921 in final list of Associate class.

The LHC order said the petition is disposed of with a direction to the government to decide the appeal filed by the petitioner in accordance with the law as early as possible and in the meantime, election may be held and if some votes are bogus, the same shall be treated as ground for challenging the election result, if need be.

SMOG: The Motorway Police has launched a 15-day awareness and enforcement campaign against the vehicles emitting smoke to control smog.

The campaign has been started on the instructions of RYK sector commander Rana Sarfraz Ahmad.

Mr Ahmad said the smoke-emitting vehicles contribute to the formation of smog and are a serious environmental/health hazard. In view of this, a fortnight campaign is being conducted against the vehicles emitting smoke.

A briefing has been given by the field officers while banners have been displayed at toll plazas, movie points and other prominent places and pamphlets are also being distributed among passengers for their awareness.

He said a strict legal action is being taken against the smoke-emitting vehicles.

So far, 2,700 vehicles have been challaned.

Published in Dawn, October 25th, 2024