Punjab Assembly’s press gallery elects new body

Ikhlaq Bajwa, Hassaan Ahmed become president and secretary, respectively

The election of the Punjab Assembly’s press gallery was held on Thursday in which Journalist Group won all the seats after a close contest.

According to the results, Akhlaq Bajwa of the Journalist Group won the post of President with 36 votes while his rival Shahid Chaudhry of Progressive Friends and Pioneer Group got 27 votes. Hassaan Ahmed won the seat of Secretary Press Gallery Punjab Assembly, Hassaan Ahmed of Journalist Group got 33 votes and Farzand Ali got 30 votes. Thus, in the Punjab Assembly Press Gallery Election, the Journalist Group defeated the Pioneer, Friends and Progressive Group. Out of a total of 65 votes, 63 votes were cast. Polling lasted for nearly two hours.

Shahid Chaudhry, the presidential candidate of Pioneer, Friends and Progressive Group, raised his hand to congratulate the newly elected president and said that it was the best election. “We are all together and will always work for the welfare of journalists,” he said. Newly elected president Akhlaq Ahmad Bajwa thanked the journalists — including his group and friends. He said that he will try his best to solve the problems of professional and genuine journalists. In his speech, newly-elected secretary Hassaan Ahmed also vowed to work for the welfare of journalists.

Chairman of Journalist Group Arshad Ansari congratulated the newly-elected body and said that it has won the original mandate of the journalists. Some people are working as public relations officers in the form of journalists, he said, adding that Punjab Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi should take care of his house and seat. “This is the election of our community, which is capable of solving our problems on our own,” he asserted.