Democrats Panel Secures Key Positions as Journalist Panel Faces Setback in National Press Club Elections 2026–27

Islamabad, The Gulf Observer: The Journalist Panel suffered a significant setback in the National Press Club (NPC) elections for the term 2026–27, losing four out of the ten executive body seats to the combined opposition group contesting under the banner of the Democrats Panel.

The Journalist Panel lost the crucial positions of president and general secretary, along with two vice presidents, to the opposition alliance after a long streak of electoral success in the club.

Abdul Razzaq Sial of the Democrats Panel was elected President of the National Press Club for 2026–27 after securing 1,067 votes, defeating Nayyer Ali, who received 1,052 votes in a closely contested race.

For the position of General Secretary, Dr. Furqan Rao of the Democrats Panel emerged victorious with 1,024 votes, narrowly defeating Khalid Mahmood of the Journalist Panel, who obtained 1,002 votes.

Meanwhile, Abid Abbasi of the Journalist Panel was elected Finance Secretary, securing 1,061 votes, while his opponent Khawar Nawaz Raja received 1,032 votes.

For the three seats of Vice President, the winners included Ehteshamul Haq of the Journalist Panel with 1,202 votes, while Bashir Chaudhry (1,076 votes) and Usman Khan (1,015 votes), both from the Democrats Panel, also secured victories.

The seat of Vice President (Female) was won by Sehrish Qureshi, who received 1,049 votes.

All three positions of Joint Secretary were secured by the Journalist Panel. Sheraz Ali Gardezi obtained 1,228 votes, Aon Sherazi received 1,121 votes, and Javed Bhagat secured 865 votes.

In addition, Shakeela Jalil was elected Joint Secretary (Female) with 1,162 votes.

The election results reflect a competitive contest between the two panels, with the Democrats Panel gaining significant ground in the leadership positions of the National Press Club.