Karachi Chamber of Commerce election nominations for the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FPCCI) polls covering 2027–28 were disallowed by the FPCCI secretary-general on 31 October 2026. Karachi Chamber of Commerce & Industry (KCCI) President Talat Mahmood has rejected that ruling, calling it an “unjustified and disproportionate action” against what he described as the country’s largest chamber.
He said the ban raises serious questions about fairness, transparency and impartiality in the electoral process. According to him, the main stated ground was that KCCI had not bought membership certificate books from FPCCI, even though nomination papers and supporting documents had been filed.
Certificate books and documents on record
Mahmood argued that a dispute over where membership certificate books come from cannot by itself justify rejecting nominations from a major licensed trade body without a clear legal basis. He strongly objected to describing KCCI’s membership certificates as “bogus,” calling that language derogatory and damaging to the chamber’s credibility.
He noted that the decision itself records that nomination papers, resolutions, membership certificates, identification documents, tax records, election results and membership registers were submitted. Despite that acknowledgment, he said, the nominations were still rejected over the certificate-book issue. He denied any procedural irregularity and said KCCI has printed its membership certificate books through the Pakistan Security Printing Corporation since October 2014—the same printing institution FPCCI uses—under the chamber’s licensing framework, with certificates issued under established procedures.
He found it striking that nearly a dozen FPCCI elections since 2014 had passed without challenge to KCCI certificates, and he asked FPCCI to show whether buying books directly from it has a statutory or regulatory basis, whether that rule was applied evenly to all affiliated organisations, and whether any alleged breach can lawfully mean nominations must be thrown out.
Separate nominee case and call for review
Separately, Muhammad Rehan Hanif’s nomination to the FPCCI General Body was rejected on the claim that he falls under the Corporate Class rather than the Associate Class. Mahmood said that case should be judged on the nominee’s actual business status, membership records, eligibility rules and clarifications already given by the Directorate General of Trade Organizations (DGTO), the federal trade-bodies regulator under the Ministry of Commerce.
He urged the DGTO to take immediate notice and hold an impartial review under the Trade Organizations Act, 2013. He demanded that FPCCI name the precise legal provisions it relied on, that a competent authority revisit the decision, that KCCI’s nominations be weighed on their individual merits, and that rules be checked for consistent application across member bodies. KCCI, he said, will pursue regulatory and court remedies if needed to protect members’ representation.
“We demand an immediate, impartial and reasoned review of this decision,” he concluded, insisting KCCI will not accept a blanket rejection without clear legal justification.
Timeline: what has happened so far
- 2013: Trade Organizations Act provides the statutory framework KCCI cites for regulatory oversight.
- October 2014: KCCI begins printing membership certificate books through the Pakistan Security Printing Corporation, a practice Mahmood says continued without prior objection.
- 2014 onward: Nearly a dozen FPCCI elections held without challenge, he said, to the authenticity of KCCI membership certificates.
- 31 October 2026: FPCCI secretary-general disallows KCCI nominations for the FPCCI elections 2027–28; Mahmood publicly rejects the decision and seeks DGTO intervention.
Aasan alfaaz mein
Karachi Chamber ne FPCCI ke election nominations reject hone ki khabar ko mana nahi. Unka kehna hai ke certificate books ki wajah se nominations band karna ghalat hai. Ab woh DGTO aur Commerce Ministry se review mang rahe hain. Ordinary business members ke liye yeh unki federation mein awaz aur representation ka mamla hai.
