By Commerce Reporter
LAHORE: Ali Hassam Asghar has formally assumed charge as President of the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), with Sardar Usman Ghani taking over as Senior Vice President and Chaudhry Khadim Hussain as Vice President.
The new office-bearers formally assumed their responsibilities following the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the LCCI, marking the beginning of their new tenure after the completion of the chamber’s 2026 election process.
The AGM was attended by more than a thousand traders, industrialists, business leaders and members of the Lahore business community. The gathering brought together representatives of different business groups, newly elected Executive Committee members and former office-bearers of the chamber.
Among those present were Vision Alliance Chairman Mian Misbah-ur-Rehman, Founders Group Chairman Sheikh Muhammad Ibrahim and Zeshan Khalil. Newly elected Executive Committee members, including Muhammad Ali, Syed Azmat Ali, Muhammad Yasin and Zulfiqar Ali Chaudhry, Mian Abuzar Shad, also participated in the gathering.
Senior figures associated with the previous business leadership were also present, including PPBA Alliance Chairman Mian Anjum Nisar, former LCCI President Faheem-ur-Rehman Saigol, former Senior Vice President Tanveer A. Sheikh, former Executive Committee member Rana Shouban Akhtar, Amjad Chaudhry, former Senior Vice President Nasir Hameed Khan and Sabir Hameed Khan, among others.
The gathering provided an opportunity for members of the business community to welcome the newly elected leadership and witness the formal transition of responsibilities at the chamber.
Ali Hassam Asghar, Sardar Usman Ghani and Khadim Hussain were elected unopposed to the three principal offices of the LCCI after no other candidates submitted nomination papers. The nominations were filed on Sept. 26 and scrutiny was completed on Sept. 28.
The LCCI elections were conducted in two phases. Polling for the Corporate Class was held on Sept. 23, followed by Associate Class polling on Sept. 24. A total of 30 candidates were elected to the Executive Committee through the two polling phases, in addition to two women elected on reserved seats.
A notable early initiative of the new leadership was the establishment of a dedicated LCCI Complaint Cell by President Ali Hassam Asghar soon after assuming charge.
The Complaint Cell has been established to provide LCCI members with an organised platform for submitting business, administrative and other complaints and seeking assistance in dealing with relevant government departments and authorities.
According to the LCCI, members can contact the Complaint Cell through the UAN 111-222-499, extensions 378 and 379, while complaints can also be submitted through the designated email address. An automated ticketing system has been introduced for complaints received through email, enabling members to receive a ticket number and track the progress of their cases.
Telephone complaints will also be registered by LCCI representatives, with members receiving a complaint number and subsequent updates regarding action taken on their cases. The chamber said the system was designed to reduce the need for members to repeatedly contact different departments to follow up on their complaints.
Ali Hassam Asghar, along with Sardar Usman Ghani and Chaudhry Khadim Hussain, said the establishment of the Complaint Cell was aimed at improving services for chamber members. They said resolving members’ issues was among the priorities of the new leadership and that the process of registering and following up on complaints was being made more organised and transparent.
The new leadership has also assumed charge at a time when traders and industrialists are seeking greater engagement with government departments on taxation, regulatory matters, infrastructure, financing, exports and other business-related issues.
The Complaint Cell is expected to provide a direct channel through which LCCI members can formally raise such matters with the chamber and monitor their progress.
The AGM also reflected the participation of both the newly elected leadership and senior figures from previous LCCI administrations, with representatives of different business groups attending the transition ceremony.
With Ali Hassam Asghar now serving as president, Sardar Usman Ghani as senior vice president and Khadim Hussain as vice president, the new office-bearers have formally begun their tenure and are expected to engage with the business community on its economic and commercial concerns.