PESHAWAR: The Businessmen Forum has won all the eight seats of executive committee in elections of the Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry for the session 2019-20.

The election to the offices of the president, senior vice-president and vice-president will be held on Sept 23.

Of the eight seats, four were from corporate group and four from associate group. Two groups, including the Businessmen Forum headed by former senator Ilyas Ahmed Bilour and the Pakistan Business Community led by Haji Sharafat Ali Mubarak, contested the elections.

Grabs all eight executive body seats

In polls for corporate group, the Businessmen Forum candidates Engineer Maqsood Anwar Pervez bagged 286 votes, Mohammad Naeeem Butt 273 votes, Sherbaz Ghazanfar Bilour 274 and Junaid Altaf 282 votes, according to the results issued by the SCCI election commission.

In associate group’s election, the Businessman Forum candidates Haji Abdul Jalil Jan secured 820 votes, Sadiq Amin 812, Mujeebur Rehman 812 and Ghulam Bilal 767 votes and emerged as winners.

Nasira Laghmani and Mohammad Sajjad have also won the executive committee seats unopposed. Ms Laghmani won the women’s seat and Mr Sajjad secured Bannu association seat. The polling was held on the premises of chamber’s house.

Of the losing candidates of associate group belonging to the rival Pakistan Business Community, Javed Ahmed Khan got 266 votes, Sharafat Ali Mubarak 344, Rahatullah 313 and Haq Nawaz 251 votes.

The candidates of corporate group Zarfaroosh got 39 votes, Sirajuddin 54, Hidayatur Rehman 51 and Abid Salam 67 votes.

Talking to members of the Businessmen Forum after its victory in the SCCI executive body elections, Mr Bilour said that the success of his candidates reflected the confidence of the community.

“It means we have served the business community without any discrimination,” he said and vowed that his group would continue its services to the community.

FPCCI’s former president Ghazanfar Bilour said that the Businessmen Forum would continue its services to the business community and would play active role in resolution of their issues.

Published in Dawn, September 19th, 2019