ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: Journalist Panel kept its over a decade-old winning streak intact and comprehensively won the NPC Election 2018 held on January 13 with Tariq Mehmood Chaudhry and Shakeel Anjum having been elected as President and Secretary respectively.
Except the Office of Finance Secretary, Journalist Panel won the election held for all other Offices including the Vice Presidents and Joint Secretaries.
However in the wake of death of senior journalists Abdul Wahid Baghi and Mamoona Arif, victory celebrations were merely reduced to Journalist Panel’s supporters gathering and exchange of greetings.
Journalist Panel was competing against Azad Panel whose Candidate Nausheen Yousaf bagged 1013 votes against 848 received by Journalist Panel’s Shakir Solangi, becoming the sole representative of Azad Panel as Finance Secretary in the newly-elected governing body of NPC.
In the election held for NPC Executive Body, newly elected NPC President Tariq Mehmood Chaudhry bagged 889 votes; Vice-Presidents Asif Bashir Chaudhry 1074 votes, Bilal Dar 1030 votes, Kashif Rafique 989 votes and Myra Imran Azam 943 votes; Secretary Shakeel Anjum 1225 votes; Joint Secretaries Abid Abbasi 1219 votes, M Nadeem Chaudhry 938, Syed Dastar Shah 922 and Fauzia Kulsoom Rana 1099.
Meanwhile, the newly Elected Body of National Press Club held its first meeting in the Committee Room at NPC on Sunday. The newly elected members specially Finance Secretary Nausheen Yousaf was warmly welcomed in the session.
In their separate messages on Sunday, Chairman Senate Mian Raza Rabbani, Speaker National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq and Deputy Speaker Murtaza Javed Abbasi extended felicitations to the newly elected NPC Office Bearers.
They extended warmest felicitation on their success, and said that their election was a manifestation of confidence of Journalist Fraternity reposed in them. They expressed their hope that the newly elected NPC Office Bearers would work for welfare of the Journalist Community and freedom of press which essential for strengthening democracy in the Country.
They also hoped that the new NPC leadership would strive to resolve problems of the Journalist Community.
The new NPC Body also received felicitation messages from various media organizations and groups.