UBG opposes 2025 trade body elections

KARACHI: SM Tanveer, patron-in-chief of the United Business Group (UBG), has criticised the federal government’s plan to hold fresh elections for trade bodies in 2025, just a few months after the last round of voting.

Tanveer argued that the business community, which concluded elections for two-year terms in September 2024, faces an unnecessary burden. He urged the government to reconsider and allow current representatives to complete their terms, which expire in September 2026.

“The business community has already been through a tumultuous election period in September 2024,” Tanveer said. Holding another vote in 2025 would be “unfair and burdensome”, he added.

Tanveer called on Atif Ikram Sheikh, president of the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI), to collaborate with trade associations and chambers to develop a unified strategy on the matter. He expressed concern about potential disruption and instability caused by another election so soon after the last one. The UBG leader emphasised the importance of continuity for businesses to focus on economic growth and development.