Karachi, March 4, 2025 – The Directorate General of Trade Organizations (DGTO) has declared the elections of the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) for the term 2024-26 as null and void due to serious legal objections raised by a complainant.
The DGTO has instructed that a fresh election must be conducted within 60 days in accordance with the relevant regulatory provisions to ensure transparency and compliance with the law.
In a decisive move to uphold fairness in the electoral process, the DGTO has recommended that the Secretary, Ministry of Commerce, appoint an administrator to oversee the fresh elections. The objective is to ensure that the elections are conducted in a free, fair, and impartial manner, addressing all the concerns raised by stakeholders regarding procedural irregularities.
Furthermore, the secretary general of the KCCI has been directed to immediately issue updated voters’ lists for both the corporate and associate membership classes. The DGTO has emphasized that a compliance report must be submitted within seven days of the issuance of the order. Any failure to comply with these directives will invite strict regulatory action, which may include the potential suspension of KCCI’s operational license.
The DGTO’s ruling comes in response to a formal complaint filed by Arshad Khursheed and several others. The complainants alleged that irregularities were committed during the KCCI elections for the 2024-26 term, compromising the transparency of the process. According to their legal counsel, the secretary general of KCCI had issued a provisional voters’ list on July 15, 2024, which was not in line with established regulations. Specifically, the list failed to bifurcate members into their respective classes—Associate and Corporate—causing confusion and ambiguity.
The complainants argued that such a violation of electoral rules obstructed their ability to contest the elections in a fair manner. Upon receiving no response from the KCCI secretary general or the election commission, they escalated the matter to the DGTO by filing a formal complaint. After careful review, the DGTO found merit in their claims and ruled that the elections could not be deemed valid due to the fundamental flaws in the voters’ list and other procedural deficiencies.
As the regulatory body responsible for overseeing trade organizations, the DGTO has reiterated its commitment to ensuring lawful and transparent electoral processes within all trade bodies. With this latest decision, the DGTO has once again asserted its role in maintaining integrity and accountability in the governance of trade organizations across Pakistan.