Daily Times

The PIAF Pioneer Progressive Alliance (PIAF PP Alliance) has made a clean sweep in the elections of Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry by winning all the seats of Corporate Class as well as the Associate Class for the year 2024-26 against the PIAF Founders LBF Alliance, paving the way for the alliance to bring its president and senior vice president and vice president.

The PIAF Founders Alliance was being considered very strong and undefeatable because all business community leaders of the provincial capital had joined this group to fight against Mian Anjum Nisar-lead group, who is the former FPCCI president and currently vice president of SAARC Chamber. The defeated group was fully supported and patronized by former interim federal minister Gohar Ejaz and ex-interim provincial minister S.M Tanveer.

According to LCCI officials, in the first phase, 4015 corporate class voters exercised their voting rights on Monday. While 13,699 associate class voters casted their votes on Tuesday, Sept 24. The polling time was from 9 am to 8 pm. The polling was done under the cover of the Lahore Chamber.

Annual general meeting will be held on Sept 30 where final results will be announced and approval of accounts will be sought. The new office-bearers will take office on October 1.

A clean sweep of the Piaf Pioneer Progressive Alliance was seen led by Mian Anjum Nisar Group, as the group won all fifteen seats of corporate class while there are strong expectations that the group would also win all seats of associate class because long counting process is underway, as the winning alliance needs just a single seat to get the majority in the executive committee of the chamber. According to provisional results list, Tanveer Ahmed of Piaf (Mian Anjum Nisar Group) stood first with 1416 votes, while Muneeb Manu, Asif Malik, Khalid Usman and Ikhtshamul Haq were also declared as successful. Other successful candidates included Hasan Raza, Asif Khan, Waqas Aslam Irfan Qureshi, Abdul Majeed, Iftikhar Ahmed, Aamir Saeed, Manzoor Hussain and Shaban Akhtar.

After the clean sweep in the corporate class, Mian Anjum Nisar and his allies have clear prospects for power in the chamber for the next two years with PIAF current chairman Faheemur Rehman Saigol and former chairman Mian Abuzar Shad as the strongest candidates for the LCCI president for the next tenure of two years.

Following the completion of second phase polling of Associate Class the final results will be announced in scheduled Annual General Meeting where the new president, senior vice president and vice president will also be elected.

The PPP Alliance chairman Mian Anjum Nisar said that the history of chamber reflected that all candidates of PIAF Alliance had been sweeping all seats with majority and held key posts of President, Senior Vice President and Vice President.

The LCCI, since its inception in 1923 and after creation of separate motherland, had produced prominent national political figures namely Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, Deputy Prime Minister and former Federal Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, former Federal Minister Tariq Hamid and Mian Misbah Ur Rehman former Chairman SNGPL and Gymkhana Club.

The PIAF Chairman Faheemur Rehman Saigol said the dedicated candidates with integrity, especially educated youth, had been fielded in the chamber election with consensus in a democratic manner. He thanked the all members for reposing their confidence in the top leadership which selflessly serving the traders and business community in the country.

He said that business community will continue to play its role for the revival of economic activities in the country to achieve the desired progress and prosperity, but the government would have to remove bureaucratic hurdles in the way of trade and industry.

The PPA Alliance leader said that the with the cooperation of its members the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry had successfully achieved its targets and continue its struggle for the early solution of issues being faced by the business community.