PSMA Centre chairman’s election termed illegal

PESHAWAR: Rizwanullah Khan, chairman of the Pakistan Sugar Mills Association (PSMA) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region, called the recent election of Zaka Ashraf as chairman of PSMA Centre illegal, unconstitutional, and a violation of the Association’s Articles of Association as well as the directives of the Directorate General of Trade Organisation (DGTO).

In a press statement, he expressed concern over the unlawful actions taken by a group of retired office bearers, led by Asim Ghani Usman, whose term as chairman expired on September 30, 2024, and whose acting role ended on 10th of October 2024.

“This entire drama staged under the pretense of legitimacy is a direct attack on the democratic and lawful rights of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region,” said Rizwanullah Khan.“

This election is not only illegal, but also an act of disenfranchisement. It is tantamount to depriving Khyber Pakhtunkhwa of its rightful turn to nominate the central chairman of PSMA, as per the regional rotation policy laid out in Article 18(iii) of our constitution. The DGTO has already recognized this in its order dated 15.11.2024,” he stated.

Rizwanullah emphasised that PSMA itself was founded 50 years ago by the initiative of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region, yet Punjab had once again overstepped and sidelined KP’s legal and historical rights.

Lumping Khyber Pakhtunkhwa—an independent province - into the so-called ‘Northern Zone’ is a troubling throwback to the One Unit era, while Balochistan, which has no operational sugar mills, is conveniently included in the Southern Zone. This deliberate restructuring serves no purpose other than to undermine KP’s autonomy,” he said.

“It is deeply lamentable that Punjab, as always, is attempting to dominate the association and deprive KP of its rightful, constitutional role. This kind of centralisation and unlawful overreach must come to an end,” he said.

According to him, the elections held on the 30th of January this year under the supervision of the retired and unauthorised Executive Committee were void ab initio, especially given that the only valid Executive Committee was elected lawfully in September 2024.

He also denounced the formation of an illegal Election Commission by appointing individuals who were not even members of PSMA, thereby violating Rule 16 of the Trade Organizations Rules, 2013, and Article 31 of the Association’s Articles.

The press release further noted that no dispute or legal order is mandating fresh elections for the Executive Committee, and the cabinet committee of the federal government, in its order dated 27th of December 2024 had only called for the election of the chairman, not the reconstitution of the entire association’s governing body.

Rizwanullah Khan, through his legal counsel Jawed Hussain Advocate, lodged a formal complaint with the DGTO, calling for immediate action under Section 14(3)(g) of the Trade Organization Act, 2013.

The complaint urged the authorities to restrain the retired committee from any further illegal actions and requested both DGTO and SECP not to entertain or accept any documentation arising from the unlawful proceedings of 30.1.2025.