Arts Council of Pakistan Karachi elections for the year 2025-2026 saw a resounding victory for the Ahmed Shah-Ejaz Faruqi panel, with the Najam Ashraf Mubashir panel suffering a heavy defeat.

In the presidential race, Muhammad Ahmed Shah garnered 1,977 votes, while his opponent Najamuddin Sheikh secured only 185 votes. For the position of Vice President, Munawar Saeed received 1,953 votes, while Secretary Professor Ejaz Farooqi won 1,942 votes.

Noor Ul Huda Shah, candidate for Joint Secretary, got 1,891 votes, and Treasurer Qudsia Akbar secured 1,939 votes. On the opposing panel, Ashraf Jabbar Qureshi earned 187 votes, Mir Abbas Raza Mubashir received 155 votes, Mansoor Zuberi managed only 58 votes, and Treasurer Candidate Taseem-ul-Haq Haqqi secured 205 votes, while Iqbal Ahmad received 235 votes. For the Governing Body, Dr. Huma Mir topped the list with 1,908 votes, followed by Dr. S.M. Qaiser Sajad with 1,907 votes, Mohammad Iqbal Latif with 1,886 votes, Dr. Ambareen Haseeb Amber with 1,873 votes, and Ghazi Salahuddin with 1,872 votes.

Other successful candidates included Syed Sajid Hassan (1,856 votes), Mohammad Ayoub Shaikh (1,778 votes), Akhlaq Ahmad Khan (1,770 votes), Amjad Hussain Shah (1,753 votes), Abdullah Sultan (1,752 votes), Farrukh Tanveer Shahab (1,742 votes), and Amjad Saraj Memon (1,711 votes).

On the opposing panel, Mohammad Ayub received 359 votes, Mazhar Amrao Bandu Khan got 313 votes, Talat Mahmood earned 284 votes, and other candidates received similar lower totals. Out of 6,780 registered voters, 2,215 members cast their votes.

Voting started at 12 PM and continued without a break until 8 PM. The polling process was marked by high energy and activity, with thousands of members, including notable figures from social, political, cultural, and entertainment sectors, attending the Arts Council.

After the results were announced, Karachi Commissioner Syed Hassan Naqvi addressed the media, congratulating the DC South, civil society, and media for the transparent conduct of the elections.

"The election process was highly transparent," he stated. Muhammad Ahmed Shah, in his victory speech, thanked all the members who supported the Ahmed Shah-Ejaz Faruqi panel, securing over 90% of the votes.

He also expressed gratitude to the Commissioner of Karachi and DC South Altaf Sario for ensuring the fair conduct of the elections.

The victory of the Ahmed Shah-Ejaz Faruqi panel was celebrated in the Arts Council, with members congratulating Muhammad Ahmed Shah and other winning candidates.

Published in The Daily National Courier, December, 23 2024

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