KARACHI: Two major business groups announced the formation of a joint alliance Thursday that will contest all seats, including the presidency, in the 2027-28 elections of the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry.
Zubair Motiwala, chairman of the Businessmen Group, and Mian Anjum Nisar, chairman of the Businessmen Panel, said at a joint news conference at the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry that their organizations and other like-minded trade groups would unite under the Pakistan Businessmen Alliance.
The alliance aims to protect the legitimate electoral rights of the business community, ensure a transparent electoral process and guarantee fair representation of Sindh in FPCCI, the leaders said.
Motiwala and Nisar said that recent incidents in which the FPCCI secretary general rejected nominations from the Karachi Chamber and other institutions had raised serious questions about the transparency of the electoral process and institutional justice. They said those circumstances prompted the decision to contest the upcoming elections jointly.
The two leaders said the alliance would be a long-term partnership rather than a mere electoral arrangement, with joint efforts planned on economic reforms, industrial development, export growth, investment promotion, job creation and resolving the business community's issues.
They said Sindh's turn under the provincial rotation system in the upcoming elections was its rightful due, noting that the previous turn had gone to the federal area and that Sindh should now receive representation according to the agreed sequence.
The leaders also questioned the proposed candidate's alleged electoral and organizational affiliations with Punjab and demanded verification of documents related to his voting record, past electoral participation and positions held in Punjab. Citing an alleged change in electoral status in October 2025 before the Election Commission of Pakistan, they demanded that the relevant record be made public.
