By Imran Malik | Business & Accountability Desk | MediaBites.com.pk | SharjahNews.ae
Former LCCI President Mian Shafqat Ali has alleged corruption in the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry during the last two years claiming illegal fees inflated membership revenue by millions.
The Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Pakistan’s most powerful business body, is facing a serious corruption allegation at the worst possible time — just weeks before what is being described as the most fiercely contested LCCI election in decades.
Mian Shafqat Ali, a former LCCI President, has allegedly made explosive claims in a vlog shared on social media, alleging widespread corruption within the LCCI over the last two years under the presidential leadership of Faheem ur Rehman Saigol and the patronage of Mian Anjum Nisar.
The Allegation — Rs 4.5 Million Question
The specific allegation targets the LCCI Executive Committee and centers on membership registration practices.
According to the claims, an urgent fee of Rs 10,000 was charged per urgent membership application during this period. Approximately 900 people were registered under this arrangement. The allegation further claims that the discount amounts that should have benefited new members were instead allegedly pocketed by individuals within the organization.
The mathematics are straightforward. If even Rs 5,000 per membership was misappropriated, the total alleged corruption amounts to approximately Rs 4.5 million.
Mian Shafqat Ali himself acknowledged in the vlog that Rs 4.5 million may appear modest for a business institution of LCCI’s scale and stature. But the principle behind the allegation is significant regardless of the amount. If a business body that exists to promote ethical commerce and accountability in Pakistan’s private sector is itself allegedly engaged in financial irregularities, the damage to its credibility extends far beyond any rupee figure.
How Much Truth and How Much Politics?
MediaBites must be honest with its readers about the context in which this allegation has emerged.
This accusation has surfaced in the middle of an LCCI election campaign that is being described as one of the most bitterly contested battles Lahore’s business community has witnessed in years. The timing raises a legitimate question about whether the allegation is primarily a matter of accountability or primarily a weapon of electoral warfare.
The honest answer is that only two parties can definitively speak to that question. PIAAF’s management — the group backing Mian Anjum Nisar — and the Anjum Nisar group itself are best positioned to confirm, deny, or contextualize Mian Shafqat Ali’s allegations.
Until they do, this remains an allegation made by a former LCCI President who may have his own political calculations in the current election environment.
The Election Context — LCCI’s Fiercest Battle in Decades
The corruption allegation cannot be fully understood without understanding the political battlefield on which it has landed.
Mian Anjum Nisar’s group PIAAF is fighting to defend its stronghold at LCCI in an election where the stakes are unusually high and the competition unusually fierce.
On the other side PBG’s Ali Hassam Asghar has been systematically building momentum, described in business circles as continuously falling key wickets of the Anjum Nisar group — a cricketing metaphor that captures the steady erosion of PIAAF’s previously solid support base.
Whether Mian Shafqat Ali’s vlog allegations are a genuine accountability intervention or a tactical move in this electoral contest is a question that the LCCI membership will ultimately judge for themselves.
MediaBites Invites Official Response
MediaBites.com.pk formally invites the current LCCI President, Faheem ur Rehman Saigol, to respond to the allegations made by Mian Shafqat Ali in his vlog.
The allegations specifically refer to his presidential tenure. He has the right and the responsibility to address them publicly. MediaBites commits to publishing his response in full, unedited, and with the same prominence as this report.
We also invite PIAAF’s management and Mian Anjum Nisar’s group to share their official position on these allegations.
Pakistan’s business community deserves clarity on the governance of the institution that represents their interests at the highest levels of commercial and policy engagement in the country.
Contact us at mediabitestv@gmail.com
— Imran Malik | Business and Accountability Desk | MediaBites.com.pk | Southera.com
Note: The allegations in this report are attributed to Mian Shafqat Ali’s vlog, which was shared on social media. MediaBites has not independently verified the specific figures or claims. All named parties are invited to respond.
