KARACHI: Businessmen Panel (BMP) on Monday formally announced its candidates for the upcoming annual elections-2021 of Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI). Addressing a press conference at a local hotel, Mian Anjum Nisar, Chairman Businessmen Panel and President FPCCI, announced that senior business leader from Karachi Nasser Hayatt Maggo would be presidential candidate of BMP for FPCCI election. Khawaja Shahzeb Akram will be the candidate for the Senior Vice President slot.
He informed that Hanif Lakhani, Muhammad Ather Sultan and Muhammad Zahid Shah would be vice presidents candidates for associations class. Another VP candidate from chamber class Punjab would be Aamir Anwar.
Mian Anjum Nisar highlighted BMP leaders' efforts and achievements over last ten months as the ruling group of FPCCI, the apex trade body of the country, and said that despite Covid-19 pandemic representatives of BMP have performed well in the country's largest trade body and most issues of business community were resolved through the platform of FPCCI.
"BMP would win FPCCI elections with a big margin on the basis of its best possible performance amid Covid-19 pandemic negative effects on trade and industry," Nisar claimed.
He said that reduction in key policy rate and timely release of refund claims are two major achievements of the BMP during this year. "Interest rate was cut on the recommendations of FPCCI for the betterment of the business community. Policy rate was over 13 percent in January 2020 and with the efforts of FPCCI now it's reduced to 7 percent," he added.
"Me and my team regularly pursued the government including Prime Minister Imran Khan and got many critical issues resolved, which include a major cut in interest rate and expediting processing of tax refunds," he claimed.
He said that during this year not only all departments of the federal government not only recognized the FPCCI, but the Prime Minister Imran Khan also met the president FPCCI many times to discuss issues of the business community.
He said that BMP is still united and has strengthened under the leadership of former president FPCCI Tariq Sayeed, the Patron-in-Chief and Senator Haji Ghulam Ali as General Secretary of BMP.
FPCCI Presidential candidate Nasser Hayatt Maggo resolved to make the best use of this supreme trade forum for the good of the country by promoting trade and industry through getting solved all their genuine issues to ensure a level playing field and make Pakistan's private sector cost competitive.
Maggo mentioned that by holding various important positions on different business forums including as president of Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry in 2002, he fought and got settled many important issues confronting trade and industry in the country.
Through further policy and structural reforms, he would make FPCCI as the real national business platform with a strong voice and influence in the formulation of economic policies of the country, he added.
On the occasion, former presidents FPCCI Zakria Usman and Sultan Ahmed Chawla, FPCCI's former vice presidents Engr M A Jabbar, Chairman of Pakistan Apparel Forum Muhammad Jawed Bilwani, Amjad Rafi and Khurram Tariq, President Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry M Shariq Vohra, President of Women Chamber of Commerce and Industry, District East Mehreen Illahi.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2020
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