The government has replaced Muhammad Anwar Pasha, the administrator of the Chittagong Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI), following escalating protests from traders linked to the anti-discrimination student movement.
In a notification issued by the Ministry of Commerce on Sunday, September 8, Mohammad Nurullah Noori, Additional Divisional Commissioner (General), has been appointed as the new administrator of the Chamber, effective from September 9.
The notification was signed by Chowdhury Samia Yasmin, Deputy Secretary of the ministry. Noori will oversee the Chamber until the ongoing election process is completed.
The leadership change came swiftly after traders, under the banner of the Anti-Discrimination Business Forum, staged a human chain and protest march in front of the World Trade Center at Agrabad on Monday afternoon, demanding Anwar Pasha’s removal. Within hours of the demonstration, the government announced the appointment of the new administrator.
Md Shahidul Islam Chowdhury, organizer of the Anti-Discrimination Business Forum, welcomed the government’s decision, stating, “We thank the government for changing the administrator in response to the demand of businessmen. We expect a fresh election schedule where members excluded from the voter list will get the chance to participate.”
Business leaders have criticized Anwar Pasha for failing to hold elections on time, despite serving for over a year. They also raised concerns over increased membership and renewal fees imposed by the ministry under his administration.
As of June 30, 2024, the Chamber had more than 13,700 members. However, Pasha announced the election schedule for August 11, in violation of the Chamber’s Memorandum and Articles of Association. Instead of allowing renewals until September 30, he cut off membership renewals on September 1. Due to the shortened window and poor publicity, only 6,765 members, less than half of the total, were able to renew their memberships.
Muhammad Anwar Pasha, now relieved of his duties as administrator, continues to serve as the Executive Director (Commerce) of Bangladesh Shipping Corporation. He had previously worked as Additional Divisional Commissioner in Chattogram Division.
