Misbah wins close Gymkhana race

6 Misbah group, 5 Zia group members in new CoM.

LAHORE: Mian Misbahur Rehman was elected chairman of the Gymkhana Club committee of management (CoM) for 2011 after Qamar Khan Bobby, an independent, joined his panel. Earlier, Misbah’s panel had won six and rival Ziaur Rehman’s five seats.

A member requesting anonymity said Misbah had arm-twisted Bobby into joining him by threatening to insist on fresh election in case of a tie.

Zia then boycotted the CoM meeting to elect the chairman but was persuaded in the end by members of his group to join in the meeting.

Earlier, six candidates from the Misbahur Rehman’s panel and five from the Muhammad Ziaur Rehman panel and Qamar Khan Bobby, an independent were elected to the Committee of Management (CoM) 2011.

2,055 permanent members out of a total of 3,915 cast votes.

The winners from the Misbah panel included Misbah himself, Khawaja Imran Zubair, Mrs Sumaira Nazir Khan, Pervaiz Bashir Agha, Zia Haider Rizvi and Khalid Ikram Malik. From the Ziaur Rehman panel, apart from Zia himself Major Javed Nasrullah, Mian Samiuddin, Dr Atif Hasnain Kazmi and Samiur Rehman were elected.

Since 2001, Misbah has been elected eight times to the CoM  and served as as chairman in 2008 and 2010. Zia Haider Rizvi, elected five times since 2001.

Shafqat Rana, a seven-time member of the CoM since 2001, lost this year. Ms Sumaira Nazir Khan was a member of the outgoing CoM and has been re-elected. Khawaja Imran Zubair has been on the CoM five times since 2001. Pervez Bashir Agha, another member of the outgoing CoM, was re-elected. Muhammad Zia-ur-Rehman of the other panel was elected the chairman once and has been a member of the CoM twice. Major (retired) Javed Nasruallh and Mian Samiuddin are also former CoM members. Prof Atif Husnain Kazmi and Samiur Rehman have been elected for the first time.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 31^st, 2010.