The Korangi Association of Trade and Industry (KATI), under the leadership of President Sheikh Umer Rehan, and its Executive Committee have nominated renowned industrialist, business leader and Patron-in-Chief of KATI and the United Business Group (UBG), S.M. Tanveer, as its candidate for the presidency of the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) for the 2026–2028 term.

The meeting was attended by KATI Patron-in-Chief S.M. Tanveer, Deputy Patron-in-Chief Zubair Chhaya, Senior Vice President Syed Farrukh Qandhari, Vice President Nasir Sheikh, UBG leaders Zubair Tufail and Khalid Tawab, Member of the National Assembly Mirza Ikhtiar Baig, Mian Zahid Hussain, Abdul Momin Khan, Shaukat Ahmed, Ikram Rajput, Masood Naqi, Salim-ul-Zaman, Farhan-ur-Rehman, Sheikh Manzar Alam, Johar Qandahari, Junaid Naqi, Ehteshamuddin, Hanif Gohar, Noor Khan, Former KATI presidents, members of the Executive Committee and representatives of the business community.

KATI President Sheikh Umer Rehan said that when Pakistan was facing severe economic instability and stood on the brink of default, S.M. Tanveer, during his tenure as caretaker provincial minister, adopted a highly prudent strategy. He said Tanveer stood firm in the face of challenges, led the business community during a critical period and played a key role in helping steer the country’s economy back towards stability. Sheikh Umer Rehan said the time had come to choose a leader such as S.M. Tanveer for FPCCI who could make the genuine concerns of industrialists and traders part of the national economic agenda.

He said Pakistan’s industrial sector was already facing multiple challenges, including high energy costs, rising production expenses, tax pressures, export difficulties, policy uncertainty and a challenging business environment.

“In these circumstances, the country’s largest representative body of the business community requires leadership capable of effectively presenting the case of industry and trade before the government and strengthening the voice of the business community in policymaking,” he said. Rehan said S.M. Tanveer had consistently drawn the attention of successive governments and policymakers towards the fundamental causes behind declining Pakistani exports and rising imports. He described Tanveer as a strong advocate of value addition in Pakistani products, saying he had consistently maintained that foreign exchange earnings could be substantially increased by exporting value-added products instead of raw materials.

KATI Deputy Patron-in-Chief Zubair Chhaya said the industrial sector was currently facing high interest rates, heavy energy costs and stringent tax policies. At such a difficult time, he said, FPCCI, the highest representative platform of industrialists and the business community, needed a leader capable of strongly presenting the business community’s case at the policymaking level. He said KATI fully and wholeheartedly supported S.M. Tanveer’s candidacy for the FPCCI presidency.

“We hope that after assuming the highest office of FPCCI, S.M. Tanveer will not only play a leading role in resolving the problems confronting Pakistan’s business community but will also help enhance the country’s industrial and commercial standing at the international level,” Chhaya said.

The KATI leadership and members of its Executive Committee appealed to all chambers of commerce and trade associations across Pakistan, as well as all UBG leaders, to support S.M. Tanveer and ensure his election with a clear majority, describing his success as a longstanding aspiration of the business community.