Democrats topple once-mighty Journalist Panel in NPC vote

 JournalismPakistan.com |  Published: 13 March 2026 |  JP Staff Report

Democrats Panel won National Press Club leadership, ending over two decades of Journalist Panel control; Abdul Razaq Sial won the presidency by 15, while Dr. Furqan Rao, Usman Khan and Bashir Chaudhry won key posts amid delays and criticism of counting.

Summary

ISLAMABAD — The National Press Club’s long-standing hierarchy was upended Friday night as the Democrats Panel captured key leadership positions, ending over two decades of Journalist Panel dominance.

While polling officially closed at 10:00 pm on Thursday, the results remained in limbo well into Friday night, raising questions about transparency and administrative efficiency before the election committee finally announced them.

Election delay fuels transparency concerns

Official results showed that Abdul Razaq Sial of the Democrats Panel (pictured, right) secured the president’s seat with 1,067 votes, narrowly defeating Nayyar Ali of the Journalist Panel, who polled 1,052. Dr. Furqan Rao (pictured, left) won the secretary’s seat, claiming 1024 votes against Khalid Mahmood, who had 1002. Prominent candidate Asad Toor, widely seen as a strong Democrats Panel contender for vice president, polled 974 votes to finish fourth among six candidates. The top three positions were secured by Ehtisham Ul Haq of the Journalist Panel with 1,202 votes, followed by Bashir Chaudhry of the Democrats Panel with 1,076 votes and Usman Khan of the Democrats Panel with 1,015. Other candidates included Shah Muhammad of the Journalist Panel, who received 865 votes, and Khizar Malik of the Journalist Panel, who polled 808 votes.

In the vice president (female) race, Sehrish Qureshi (1049) edged Javeria Siddique (924), the spouse of slain journalist Arshad Sharif.

The protracted counting drew criticism from journalists and contestants alike. Social media buzzed with confusion over interim results and the lack of timely communication from election officials. Several observers questioned whether the delay was a product of procedural gaps or sheer administrative inefficiency, with some warning that it could erode confidence in the club’s governance at a time when journalistic transparency is under public scrutiny.

Sabookh Syed, a senior journalist, noted, “We report election results, trends, and analysis within hours. But if it takes eleven hours to count 2,200 votes in our own organization’s election, concern is natural.”

Democrats’ campaign capitalizes on long-standing grievances

Analysts say the Democrats Panel’s victory reflects widespread discontent among club members with the Journalist Panel’s governance. Critics cite neglected facilities, limited engagement with members, a perceived alignment of office-bearers with the government, and the panel’s inaction following last October’s police raid, during which law enforcement officers allegedly attacked journalists and entered the club without authorization. The Democrats Panel leveraged this dissatisfaction, running a highly visible campaign focused on accountability, reform, and restoring member confidence.

The outcome signals a dramatic shift in the National Press Club’s internal politics, illustrating that even entrenched institutions can fall when leadership fails to address members’ concerns.

Final results announced by the election committee:

President: Abdur Razzaq Sial (1067), Nayyer Ali (1052); rejected votes 50
Secretary: Dr. Furqan Rao (1024), Fida Shirazi (91), Khalid Mahmood (1002); rejected votes 51
Finance secretary: Abid Abbasi (1061), Khawar Nawaz Raja (1032); rejected votes 76
Vice president: Asad Toor (974), Bashir Chaudhry (1076), Ehtishamul Haq (1202), Khizar Malik (807), Shah Muhammad Detho (865), Usman Khan (1015); rejected votes 53
Vice president (female): Aysha Masood Malik (102), Javeria Siddique (924), Sehrish Qureshi (1049); rejected votes 88
Joint secretary: Aoon Sherazi (1121), Ch. Javaid Bhagat (865), Dr. Sajjad Bukhari (672), Imran Ch. (151), Ishfaq Bangash (538), Khalid Malik (693), Sheraz Ali Gardezi (1228), Yasir Malik (605); rejected votes 61
Joint secretary (female): Sadia Sahar Haideri (848), Shakila Jalil (1162); rejected votes 169

WHY THIS MATTERS: The unexpected victory of the Democrats Panel underscores the vulnerability of entrenched leadership when administrative inefficiencies and member grievances go unaddressed. For Pakistani journalists and media organizations, it highlights the importance of transparent governance, active engagement with members, and accountability in internal elections, which mirror broader expectations of professional conduct in public reporting.

ATTRIBUTION: Reporting by JournalismPakistan, with additional context from publicly available National Press Club election data (March 13, 2026).