Sohail Mughal elected president, Shahzad Lolabi named secretary general in decisive vote
Panel secures all key slots and governing body seats in annual poll
MUZAFFARABAD: Sohail Mughal and Shahzad Lolabi of the Journalists Panel were elected president and secretary general, respectively, of the Central Press Club Muzaffarabad in a decisive annual election held on Thursday.
According to the election committee, Mr Mughal secured 49 votes for the presidency, while Mr Lolabi clinched 55 votes for the slot of secretary general, as against 33 and 27 votes bagged by their rivals from the Progressive Panel. Polling, which began at noon after some initial hiccups, continued uninterrupted until 4pm.
Other office-bearers elected from the Journalists Panel included Shahzeb Afzal as vice president with 50 votes, Akmal Javed as joint secretary with 48 votes, and Tasaddiq Shah Kazmi as secretary information with 51 votes.
Chaudhry Khurshid of the Progressive Panel was declared elected unopposed as additional secretary after the election committee withheld the nomination papers of his rival, Shahid Qayyum, on the grounds that he had recently secured a government job.
The Journalists Panel also swept the elections for the seven governing body seats. Those elected were Abdul Wajid Khan, Syed Abbas Gardezi, Muhammad Arif Urfi, Khurram Atta Shaikh, Ishtiaq Ahmed Aatish and Raja Shaukat Iqbal.
Speaking after his victory, Mr Mughal thanked the members of the press club for reposing confidence in his panel and pledged to uphold the dignity and independence of the journalist community.
“This mandate reflects the trust of our colleagues in our vision for a united and professionally strong press club,” he said. “We will work to protect the professional rights of journalists and ensure that the press club remains a platform for free and responsible journalism.”
He also vowed to promote transparency in the club’s affairs and to address welfare issues of members on a priority basis. “Our doors will remain open to all members, irrespective of panel affiliations. The time for contest is over; now is the time for cooperation and service,” he added.