KARACHI: /DNA/ – The presidential candidate of Businessmen Panel (BMP) for FPCCI elections 2022, Irfan Iqbal Sheikh, has expressed his full confidence of his group’s victory, as they have received overwhelming support from Chambers and other Trade Bodies from across the country, besides the court has also cancelled the stay order against him to contest the polls.
Irfan Iqbal Sheikh, in a written statement issued here on Wednesday, observed that the Sindh High Court has cancelled the stay order and allowed him to contest the polls of Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) in the case filed by the rival group of United Businessmen Group (UBG), paving the way for the smooth win of the BMP for the third consecutive time.
The BMP chairman and ex-president of FPCCI Mian Anjum Nisar said the Businessmen Panel has nominated Irfan Iqbal Sheikh to contest presidential slot because he is a well-experienced business leader, rendering excellent services for the promotion of trade and industries on various business platforms, including LCCI as its president, which is one of the major chambers of the country.
He declared the names of other candidates, who are contesting the elections of the apex trade body on platform of the BMP, including Suleman Chawla, the candidate for Senior vice president, Nadeem Qureshi, the candidate for vice president, Shabbir Mansha Churra, the candidate for vice president, Engineer M.A Jabbar, the candidate for vice president, Umar Masoodur Rehman, Vice president candidate, Ch. Khalil Ahmed, Candidate for Vice President, Shaukat Ali, Candidate for Vice President, Aminullah Baig, Candidate for Vice President, Shabbir Hassan, Vice president candidate and Uzma Shahid Butt also Vice president candidate.
Mian Anjum Nisar observed that his group, for the last three years of victory, has been very actively engaged with the federal as well as the provincial governments in formulation of the policies on trade and industry including the annual budgets making.
Irfan Iqbal Sheikh, highlighting the BMP’s performance in the year 2021, said the chairman Mian Anjum Nisar along with his team of officer bearers and FPCCI President Nasir Maggo had been playing their best possible role from the platform of this apex trade body of the country for the resolution of the issues facing trade and industry, and for getting maximum incentives and facilities for them to boost industrial growth and exports.
Irfan Iqbal Sheikh stated that despite difficult situation emerging after the outbreak of COVID during the last two years, the industry sustained and the exports witnessed significant increase. This could be possible due to continued efforts and pursuance by BMP leadership that the government, during previous years, came up with the bailout financial packages for the industry and businesses to absorb the shocks of pandemic.
Beside these packages, he added, BMP struggled to get the power tariff for the industry rationalized, the key policy rate was reduced by five percent though the SBP has again increasing it but the Businessmen Panel would continue to pursue the central bank to relax it. He said that huge financial package for the housing and construction sector was prominent among the government relief lobbied by the BMP leadership in last couple of years, he said.
Irfan Iqbal resolved that after his election as president of FPCCI, he would make the best and the most effective use of Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry for promoting trade and industry, and local and foreign investment. Strongly believing in team work, he would ensure maximum participation of the business leaders representing different chambers and associations of the country for economic prosperity and development of the country, along with welfare of the business community.
The candidate for President from BMP was fully confident and expressed that the BMP would sweep the upcoming Federation’s election with record highest number of votes which would be the history in federation adding that all genuine and sincere voters had assured Mian Anjum Nisar and other BMP leaders of extending their full support to the BMP penal.
Mian Anjum Nisar said that the BMP would continue to push the government to initiate long-term economic planning for the betterment of business community of Pakistan and assured that the business community has ability to change the fate of Pakistan and transform it into a prosperous country.