Joint Session of SCCI 80th Executive Committee Meeting and 25th General Assembly Meeting
May 24, 2023, Dhaka, Bangladesh
The Joint Session of the 80th Executive Committee (EC) and 25th General Assembly (GA) of the SCCI took place on May 24, 2023, in Dhaka, Bangladesh. This meeting held particular significance as it marked the first EC meeting following President Mr. Iftikhar Ali Malik’s three-year tenure and it brought together distinguished members from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Maldives, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.
The objective of the meeting was to review and approve the agenda of the joint session of the 80th Executive Committee Meeting and 25th General Assembly Meeting, a briefing on activities and accomplishments of the Term 2020-2022, an update on the SCCI Building, approval of SCCI life memberships and SCCI audited accounts for the financial term 2020-2023. Furthermore, a farewell address from the outgoing President of SCCI, Mr. Iftikhar Ali Malik.
Mr. Zulfiqar Ali Butt, Acting Secretary General of SCCI, invited Mr. Iftikhar Ali Malik, the outgoing President of SCCI, to chair the proceedings of the SCCI Joint Session virtually.
Mr. Iftikhar Ali Malik formally welcomed the delegates, Executive Committee, and General Assembly members of SCCI. In his opening remarks, he expressed gratitude to the EC and GA members for their continued support during the most challenging times of his presidency at SCCI.
While extending his best wishes to the incoming President of SCCI, Md. Jashim Uddin, stated that his support and blessings would always be with the new office bearers of SCCI to achieve the targets of regional cooperation and economic integration in South Asia.
Mr. Vinod Juneja, Vice President, SCCI (India) joined the meeting online, and during his address, he paid tribute to the late leaders of SCCI. He also commended President SCCI, Mr. Iftikhar Ali Malik, for his leadership and for keeping the organization united and integrated in the most challenging circumstances. He conveyed best wishes to the incoming President of SCCI for successful leadership in proactively working for regional economic cooperation and assured him that the business fraternity is united under his leadership.
Mr. Zubair Ahmed Malik, Vice Chair of SCCI Head Quarter Building Committee and EC Member of SCCI (Pakistan), provided an update on the construction of the Head Quarter Building project.
Speaking during the meeting, Mr. Macky Hashim, Former President and EC Member, SCCI (Sri Lanka), Mr. Chandi Raj Dhakal, Vice President, SCCI (Nepal) and Mr. Ruwan Edirisinghe, Former President and EC Member SCCI (Sri Lanka) emphasized that all South Asian nations had been facing numerous difficulties due to the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent economic crisis. They suggested offering a concession in the annual subscription fee for the national member chambers of SCCI to alleviate these difficulties.
Mr. Shafquat Haider, EC Member, SCCI and incoming Vice President of SCCI (Bangladesh) said that FBCCI would pay the outstanding annual membership subscriptions within a short period.
Mr. Anjum Nisar, the incoming Vice President of SCCI from Pakistan, officially handed over the SCCI flag to Md. Jashim Uddin, the incoming President of SCCI, on behalf of the outgoing President, Mr. Iftikhar Ali Malik.
In his concluding remarks, Md. Jashim Uddin commended the SCCI Presidium, EC, GA, and the secretariat, particularly the outgoing President, Mr. Iftikhar Ali Malik, for their resilience during the unprecedented economic crisis brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic and evolving global dynamics. He pledged to revitalize SCCI, serving the people and business community in South Asia.
