KARACHI: The president of the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry has rejected a decision by the FPCCI secretary general barring KCCI’s nominations for the 2027–28 FPCCI elections, calling it an unjustified and disproportionate action against the country’s largest chamber.
Talat Mahmood said in a statement that the Oct. 31, 2026, decision raises serious concerns about fairness, transparency and impartiality in the electoral process. He expressed grave concern that KCCI’s nominations were rejected primarily because the chamber had not purchased membership certificate books from FPCCI, despite submitting nomination papers and supporting documentation.
“The Karachi Chamber strongly rejects this decision,” Mahmood said. “A dispute over the source of membership certificate books cannot automatically justify rejecting the nominations of a major, licensed trade organization without establishing the legal grounds and determining whether such a consequence is authorized under the applicable law and rules.”
He condemned the use of the term “bogus” to describe KCCI’s membership certificates, calling it derogatory, unwarranted and damaging to the chamber’s institutional credibility.
Mahmood noted that the decision itself acknowledges the submission of nomination papers, resolutions, membership certificates, identification documents, tax records, election results and membership registers, yet still rejected the nominations over the certificate-book issue.
He rejected any suggestion of procedural irregularity, saying KCCI has printed its membership certificate books through the Pakistan Security Printing Corporation since October 2014 — the same printing institution used by FPCCI — and that the arrangement has continued for years without objection.
“It is surprising that nearly a dozen FPCCI elections have been held since 2014 without a single objection being raised against the validity or authenticity of KCCI’s membership certificates, making the sudden challenge to their legitimacy all the more questionable,” he said.
Mahmood called on FPCCI to clarify whether the requirement to purchase certificate books directly from it has a clear statutory or regulatory basis, whether it has been applied consistently to all affiliated trade organizations, and whether any alleged noncompliance legally warrants rejection of nominations.
On the separate rejection of Muhammad Rehan Hanif’s nomination to the FPCCI General Body over his alleged classification under the Corporate Class rather than the Associate Class, Mahmood said the matter must be examined independently based on the nominee’s actual business status, membership records and applicable eligibility criteria, along with clarifications from the Directorate General of Trade Organizations.
Mahmood urged the DGTO and the Ministry of Commerce to take immediate notice and conduct an impartial review under the Trade Organizations Act, 2013. He demanded that FPCCI identify the precise legal provisions relied upon, that the competent authority review the decision, and that KCCI’s nominations be reconsidered on their individual merits.
He said KCCI would defend its institutional rights and the legitimate representation of its members through all available legal and regulatory forums, including approaching the DGTO, the Ministry of Commerce and the competent courts if necessary.
“We demand an immediate, impartial and reasoned review of this decision,” Mahmood said. “KCCI will not accept the blanket rejection of its nominations without clear and legally sustainable justification. The rules must be applied fairly, the evidence examined objectively, and the legitimate electoral rights of trade organizations protected.”
