KARACHI: Chairman Businessmen Group & Former President Karachi Chamber Commerce and Industry (KCCI) Siraj Kassam Teli has said that all 15 candidates of Businessmen Group (BMG) will win KCCI annual election 2018-19 with huge margins and the opposition will face forfeiture of their security deposits as majority of the business and industrial community has extended overwhelming support to BMG.
“BMG, which since its inception in 1998, has been effectively governing KCCI under the policy of ‘Public Service’ and has transformed this Chamber from a financially strained institution to a self-sustainable, stable and stronger organization”, he added while addressing a press conference in a local hotel on Monday.
Vice Chairmen BMG & Former Presidents KCCI Tahir Khaliq, Zubair Motiwala, Haroon Farooki and Anjum Nisar along with President KCCI Muffasar Atta Malik, Senior Vice President Abdul Basit Abdul Razzak, Vice President Rehan Hanif, Former President AQ Khalil, all 15 contesting candidates, Former Presidents, managing Committee members and BMG supporters were also present on the occasion.
Siraj Teli pointed out that Leader of United Businessmen Group (UBG) of FPCCI S.M. Muneer, who initially extended support to BMG, recently made a U-turn and announced to support BMG’s opponent Group led by AKD and Maqsood Ismail. However, this U-turn was undoubtedly, a ‘blessing in disguise’ as it went in our favor by encouraging many others to come forward to support BMG, its leadership and candidates who never make such U-turns and do exactly what they say or commit in all types of circumstances.
Highlighting the overall strength and support being enjoyed Businessmen Group, he said that many trade associations, industrial town associations, commercial markets’ Associations, hundreds of small traders, leading businessmen and industrialists have extended wholehearted support to BMG in the forthcoming elections and they are being requested once again to make sure they come to cast their votes and be counted. In this regard, a noteworthy development recently took place when Businessmen Panel (BMP), which opposes UBG in FPCCI and is being led by Mian Anjum Nisar from Lahore, also announced unconditional support to BMG. The support was declared by BMP Karachi representatives Mian Zahid Hussain, Zakria Usman, Shaukat Ahmed, Nasir Hayat Magoo and 20 other leading businessmen who arrived at a dinner reception last Saturday night to announce the unconditional support to BMG in KCCI’s Elections.
“We warmly welcome the support extended by prominent figures from this group, who understand Karachi’s business politics as well as the work done by BMG. They can see who is right and who is wrong”, he added while further appreciating the support extended by President Karachi Electronic Dealers Association Rizwan Irfan, Nasir Turk, Saleem Memon and other notables from the Electronic Market, Paper Market and other important markets across the city.
Siraj Teli further commented that the opponents and their supporters were making attempts to damage the business environment which was not something new for BMG as all these people, who have extended support to our opponents from AKD, had made similar attempts in KCCI’s elections in 2001 and 2004 in which they faced terrible defeat which they will again face in 2018 Elections thanks to the overwhelming support extended to BMG by majority of business and industrial community.
