NPC polls: losing candidate cries foul

 JournalismPakistan.com |  Published December 30, 2013

ISLAMABAD: A presidential candidate whose panel lost badly in the elections of National Press Club, Islamabad last week has accused the election committee chairman Nasir Zaidi as being biased.

In a Facebook post, Matiullah Jan (pictured) of Jago Panel who got only 203 votes said the chairman had lost respect for his own words.

"Nasir Zaidi sahib, who had stood like a rock against martial law regimes and bore the brunth (sic) of public lashes. But today he has forgotten all about his past journalistic pride," he wrote.

"In the recent National Press Club election, it was discovered that the election committee, which he was heading, was using two separate lists for crossing names of those who had polled their votes. This was indeed scandalous and we protested to him and his election committee. He exchanged the two lists to satisfy us, but it was already too late for this. Apparently many voters polled their votes twice by standing in second line after polling the first vote. "

Mati claimed that at the time of results announcement, Nasir Zaidi was requested to tally the number of votes crossed on both the lists and see if there were any names crossed on both the lists and count the number of names crossed on both the lists and also to tally the figures with the number of ballot papers recovered from the ballot boxes.

"He refused point blank and on our insistence publicly announced that he was sealing the two lists used by the election committee (which he did in front of all of us) for examination on Monday before announcement of the official results. I mentioned this fact in my closing speech after election results also," Mati said.

"Today on Monday when I called him up for examination of the voters lists as was promised by him he gave the excuse of being indisposed and unable to come to the press club. After some time when I called him up to remind him of his promise that the election results could not be officially announced before examination of both the lists, he suddenly disclosed that he had already announced the results. This was obviously a disgrace to the man Nasir Zaidi that we revered for such a long time. He got annoyed on my protest and hung up the phone."

The Jago Panel is now demanding that the two lists sealed by Nasir Zaidi be preserved for future examination.

Mati lost to Shahryar Khan of the Journalists Panel who polled 1206 votes. The Journalists' Panel made a clean sweep of the polls for the eighth consecutive year.

Even a win can't hide Pakistan's structural collapse in cricket

 June 11, 2025:  Pakistan celebrated a narrow win over Bangladesh, but beneath the jubilation lies a deeper crisis—from sidelined veterans to a collapsing domestic structure—signaling an urgent need for cricket reform.

Journalists stage walkout at post-budget briefing over government's dismissive attitude

 June 11, 2025:  Journalists walked out of the post-budget press conference in Islamabad to protest the absence of a technical briefing and the government's dismissive behavior, calling it unacceptable and intolerable.

Legal storm brews as Dr. Nauman Niaz serves defamation notice on Shoaib Akhtar

 May 31, 2025:  Dr. Nauman Niaz has issued a defamation notice to Shoaib Akhtar over derogatory remarks made during a recent broadcast, reigniting a longstanding media feud between the two prominent figures in Pakistan.

HRCP urges complete repeal of PECA, citing threats to free speech and civil liberties

 May 30, 2025:  The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan has demanded the full repeal of PECA, citing its vague language, coercive powers, and threats to free speech and digital rights in Pakistan.

PFUJ condemns murder of journalist Syed Mohammad Shah, urges immediate justice

 May 30, 2025:  The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) has condemned the murder of journalist Syed Mohammed Shah in Jacobabad, calling for urgent justice and improved safety for media professionals in Sindh.

State within a state? Police block reinstated Jang employees from resuming duties

 May 26, 2025:  In Rawalpindi, police allegedly side with Jang Group to block 66 reinstated employees from resuming work despite court orders, drawing sharp criticism from unions and press freedom advocates.

PFUJ slams Jang Group's 'economic massacre' after mass firing of over 80 workers

 May 25, 2025:  PFUJ condemns the Jang Group's decision to dismiss over 80 employees in Rawalpindi, calling it an 'economic massacre.' The union warns of nationwide protests if workers are not reinstated.

Labor rights trampled: Daily Jang defies court, terminates over 80 employees

 May 25, 2025:  Daily Jang Rawalpindi has terminated over 80 employees, including female staff, despite multiple court rulings in their favor—raising concerns over labor rights violations and misuse of authority in Pakistani media.