PBG faces setback as women wing joins PIAF alliance ahead of LCCI polls

LAHORE
The Pioneer Businessmen Group (Ali Hussam Group) has suffered a fresh setback ahead of the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) elections as Syeda Alia Rizvi, president of its Women Wing, has joined the PIAF-Anjum Nisar Group along with a number of her associates.
The development comes amid an increasingly competitive election campaign for the LCCI 2026-28 term, following the end of the previous electoral understanding between PIAF and the Pioneer Businessmen Group. The two sides are now contesting the elections separately, with both seeking the support of traders, industrialists and business associations across Lahore.
Syeda Alia Rizvi announced her decision at the PIAF election office in the presence of print and electronic media representatives. She met PIAF Patron-in-Chief Mian Anjum Nisar, former PIAF chairman Mian Muhammad Ali, former FPCCI vice president Riffat Malik, PIAF and LCCI Executive Committee member Amina Randhawa, Firdous Nisar and other senior leaders.
Speaking on the occasion, Rizvi said she and her colleagues had developed confidence in the leadership of PIAF and Mian Anjum Nisar because of what she described as their policies and services for the business community.
She announced her unconditional support for PIAF and said she would support the group in the forthcoming LCCI elections.
Rizvi also expressed disappointment with what she described as the “hollow slogans” and personal criticism associated with the Pioneer Businessmen Group. She said the business community required practical policies, effective representation and a focus on resolving the issues faced by traders and industrialists.
The latest development adds to a series of moves by business groups and associations taking positions ahead of the LCCI elections. PIAF has consolidated its side of the contest through the PIAF Progressive BNF Alliance (PPBA), a platform comprising PIAF, the Progressive Group and the Business National Front. The alliance is being led by Mian Anjum Nisar and is contesting the 2026-28 LCCI elections as a united platform.
The PIAF camp has also received support from various business organisations during the election campaign. The DHA Estate Agents Association announced unconditional support for PIAF in July, while the Association of Foreign Education Industry Consultants and allied groups announced their support in August.
On the other side, the Pioneer Businessmen Group, led by Ali Hussam Asghar, has joined with the Founders Group, Lahore Businessmen Front and Nasir Hameed Khan Group to contest the elections under a separate joint alliance.
Firdous Nisar, Executive Committee member of PIAF and LCCI, performed coordination duties at the event.
The delegation accompanying Syeda Alia Rizvi included Syed Zawar Hussain Shah, Ayesha Raza Khan, Adeeba Sheikh, Maria Mumtaz, Azra Ishaq, Shamaila Zafar, Sameer, Semi Gul and other members.
The LCCI elections are scheduled for September 23 and 24, 2026, with the contest divided between the Corporate and Associate classes. The latest switch by the Pioneer group’s Women Wing president comes only days before polling, adding another development to an already closely contested campaign.