LAHORE: The Businessmen Panel (BMP), the ruling group of the FPCCI, has nominated the noted businessman and FPCCI former vice president Muhammad Ali Sheikh from Islamabad as its presidential candidate for the Federation elections for 2023-24 in view of his great performance as apex body’s VP as well as GCCI SVP in the past.
The decision was taken in the Core Committee meeting of the BMP under the chairmanship of Mian Anjum Nisar, the chief of Businessmen Panel. In a high-profile meeting held here, the group acknowledged the performance and accomplishments of three consecutive presidents of FPCCI from BMP for the collective good of business, industry and trade community of the entire nation.
Addressing the ceremony, Mian Anjum Nisar highlighted the BMP leaders' struggle and achievements over last four years, as the ruling group of FPCCI, and said that despite several issues representatives of the ruling group have performed well in the country's largest trade body and most issues of business community were resolved through the platform of FPCCI.
The FPCCI’s new presidential candidate Muhammad Ali Sheikh, on this occasion, expressed his profound confidence that the environment in the business community across Pakistan is such that his group would clean sweep the upcoming elections; as they have earned the reputation of the true representatives of trade, industry and services across all sectors.
The BMP would win FPCCI elections for the fourth consecutive time with a big margin on the basis of its best possible performance amid worst economic crisis negative effects on trade and industry, he claimed. He said that the Businessmen Panel team regularly pursued the government including the Prime Minister and got many critical issues resolved, which include expediting processing of tax refunds, he claimed.
He said that during past four years not only all departments of the federal government recognized the FPCCI, but the Prime Minister also met the president FPCCI many times to discuss issues of the business community.
FPCCI Presidential candidate said that the BMP is the representative group of the business community of the country and we will participate in the next elections to the best of our ability and ensure the success of our group. He said that the strongest groups of various chambers have joined the BMP, saying that the group has already started the election campaign.
Muhammad Ali Sheikh said that Islamabad and Rawalpindi have been key players in the political, cultural and social life of the country and now the Islamabad Chapter would play an active role within the BMP. He said that during the past tenure, the members of the rival group had ruined the FPCCI, while the BMP has not only improved its finances but also contributed millions to the exchequer of the federation during the last four years.
FPCCI Presidential candidate 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. He mentioned that by holding various important positions on different business forums, including as ex-senior vice president of Gujranwala Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI), 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.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2023