The leadership crisis at the Pakistan Software Houses Association for IT & ITES (P@SHA) has ended after the Directorate General of Trade Organisations (DGTO) restored Sajjad Mustafa Syed as chairman.
In an order issued on August 28, the DGTO declared the no-confidence resolution passed against Syed during P@SHA’s August 22 Central Executive Committee (CEC) meeting “null and void ab initio.”
The regulator also cancelled the August 24 notification that had removed Syed and transferred acting chairman powers to Senior Vice Chairman Muhammad Umair Nizam.
Syed has now been restored as P@SHA’s lawful chairman for the remaining period of his 2024-26 term.
The dispute arose after an eight-vote no-confidence motion was passed during the CEC meeting. However, the DGTO ruled that the vote did not meet the required legal threshold.
P@SHA’s CEC consists of 12 members, meaning a three-fourths majority requires at least nine votes. The motion received only eight votes. The DGTO further ruled that one member’s vote was invalid because he stood to benefit directly from Syed’s removal by becoming acting chairman, reducing the valid votes in favor to seven.
The regulator also identified procedural violations. The no-confidence motion was introduced as an unscheduled floor motion during a meeting convened to discuss an NCCIA-related matter. The meeting had been called with only two hours’ emergency notice, while the no-confidence proposal was not included in the circulated agenda.
According to the DGTO, this violated requirements related to special business, advance notice and due process.
The regulator therefore set aside both the CEC resolution and the August 24 notification issued by P@SHA’s Secretary General.
However, the DGTO has not permanently barred the CEC from attempting to remove Syed. It said any future no-confidence motion must follow the proper procedure, including a formal written requisition, at least seven clear days’ notice, a specific agenda and resolution, and at least nine votes from the 12-member CEC.
The DGTO also directed P@SHA leadership to comply with an earlier order requiring a 30-day amicable dispute resolution process.
The decision effectively reverses the August 24 leadership change and returns Syed to the chairmanship, although the internal dispute within P@SHA remains unresolved.
