FAISALABAD, Nov 3: Monday was a day of fluctuating fortunes for Faisalabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FCCI) members as a directive barring the chamber management from receiving enhanced election fee was withdrawn hours after its issuance.

The Joint Stock Companies registrar said in his order to the chamber secretary: “The election clause of FCCI memorandum & articles does not allow change in the election fee and the same is also not prescribed in the election schedule of Oct 7. You are therefore directed that no nomination paper shall be refused on the ground that election fee has not been deposited. You are directed to ensure the receipt of nomination papers of eligible members/candidates interested in contesting the election within the office hours and report to this office.”

A group of chamber members had moved the district coordination officer against the increase in the election fee from Rs5,000 to Rs25,000. They asked the DCO to intervene as the chamber management was ‘illegally’ receiving enhanced election fee from candidates.

A few hours after the registrar issued his order against the enhanced election fee, sources said, FCCI Vice President Chaudhry Saleem contacted him and asked him to withdraw the order. Saleem pleaded the FCCI memorandum allowed the executive committee to enhance the election fee to meet its financial needs.

In a surprise move, the registrar withdrew his first order and issued a new one, directing FCCI members to follow the rules on the election fee prescribed in the memorandum.

The issuance of two orders led to exchange of words between the chamber management and members. Members said the management humiliated them when they went to file their nomination papers without the election fee.

Sheikh Hanif said he saw a ticker on a TV channel regarding suspension of the election fee. He said he went to the chamber management to file his nomination papers, but he was humiliated there. Sources said that immediately after the registrar withdrew his first order, the two ruling groups of the chamber —National and Founder — called their meetings to pick candidates for the annual election 2008-09.

Zafar Iqbal, Muhammad Boota, Hamid Javed, Salamat Ali, Umer Saeed, Abdul Razzaq, Maqsood Elahi, Shabbir Ahmed, Muhammad Amjad, Shabbir Hussain, Zahid Aslam, Talib Hussain and Haleem Akthar have been fielded for 12 seats of corporate class.

Mehmood Akbar, Mohammad Ali, Muhammad Yousaf, Abdul Sattar, Sohail Amjad, Talat Mehmood, Muhammad Jamil, Muhammad Hanif, Muhammad Asif, Sajjad Ashraf, Muhammad Ayub, Ubaidullah and Mohammad Islam are vying for associate class seats.

Robina Amjad and Shehla Mehboob were elected unopposed.

The sources said the chamber management received enhanced fee of Rs25,000 from all aspirants with provision to the decision of the director general of the Trade Ordinance as the case had been sent to him for a decision.

The FCCI annual election is scheduled for Nov 21 and Nov 22.