In the annual elections of the Lahore Press Club, Arshad Ansari of the Journalist Progressive Alliance has been re-elected as President for the 13th time, securing 1,108 votes. Zahid Abid from the Journalist Panel won the Secretary’s seat with 904 votes. The Journalist Progressive Alliance dominated the elections, winning 9 out of 15 seats. The Pioneers Progressive, Friends, and EMPRA Grand Alliance secured 5 seats, while one seat was taken by an independent candidate. Afzal Talib of the Journalist Progressive Alliance was elected Senior Vice President with 1,123 votes, while Saima Nawaz of the Pioneer Progressive Alliance won the Vice President’s seat with 989 votes. For the secretary’s position, Zahid Abid emerged victorious with 904 votes, followed by Zahid Sherwani with 616 votes and Jafar Binyar with 375 votes. Imran Sheikh of the Journalist Progressive Panel became Joint Secretary with 764 votes, while Salik Nawaz took the Treasurer’s position with a record 1,163 votes. In the Governing Body elections, Mudassir Sheikh topped the list with 825 votes, followed by Syed Badar Saeed (678 votes), Khwaja Sarmad Farukh (675 votes), and Rana Shehzad (673 votes). Shahida Butt, Mehmood Chaudhry, and Shakir Mehmood Awan also secured seats. Independent candidate Asad Mehmood Guddu and Journalist Progressive Panel’s Alfet Mughal claimed the eighth and ninth positions with 576 and 574 votes, respectively. Out of 2,625 registered members of the Lahore Press Club, 1,960 cast their votes. Separately, Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting, National Heritage, and Culture Attaullah Tarar on Monday congratulated the newly elected office bearers of the Lahore Press Club. In a message of facilitation, Tarar extended his congratulations to President Arshad Ansari, Secretary Zahid Abid, Senior Vice President Afzaal Talib, Vice President Saima Nawaz, Joint Secretary Imran Sheikh, Finance Secretary Salik Nawaz, and the newly elected members of the governing body. Tarar reiterated the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government’s unwavering commitment to freedom of expression and press freedom. He acknowledged the vital role of Lahore’s journalist community in upholding the Constitution, ensuring the rule of law, and strengthening democratic traditions. He also reaffirmed the government’s dedication to the welfare of journalists, emphasizing the importance of press clubs in amplifying their voices and addressing public concerns. He highlighted that concrete steps are being taken to ensure their well-being. Expressing his optimism, Tarar hoped that the newly elected leadership of the Lahore Press Club would work diligently for the welfare of journalists and conveyed his best wishes to the new governing body.