Syed Ashfaq Hussain Shah was elected as the new president of Pakistan Football Federation, outvoting Anwar ul Haq Qureshi by a clear margin of 17 to 3 votes in Pakistan Football Federation's elections held at the Supreme Court building.
The elections, which FIFA has already refused to accept, were held on Wednesday after the apex court ordered fresh poll in the country’s football regulatory body last month.
Twenty out of 26 congress members exercised their right to vote in the election with 17 voting in favour of Shah – a candidate supported by an alliance of Sardar Naved Haider and Zahir Shah. The alliance was formed with an aim to oust Faisal Saleh Hayat from the PFF.
On three positions of vice presidents, PTI MNA Malik Aamir Dogar got elected with 20 votes while Sardar Naved Haider and Zahir Shah got 18 votes each. Jan Mohammad Marri could get only two votes.
Elections for Executive Committee were also held in which Mohammad Ashraf Khan and Rizwan Ali were elected from Punjab, Dost Mohammad Khan and Najeebullah from Balochistan, Zulfiqar Ahmed and Said Rasool from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Jamil Haider Hoath and Abdul Nasir Baloch from Sindh.
Earlier, elections for three women seats were held in which Javeria Zafar, Tasawur Aziz and Farzana Rauf were elected to PFF Congress.
While the election has brought an end to Faisal Saleh Hayat’s 15-year reign at the PFF, it remains to be seen how FIFA reacts to it.
Sources fear that FIFA may refuse to accept the results of elections and any attempts to take over the PFF office by newly-elected officials will bring more troubles for football in Pakistan.
