ISLAMABAD: The National Council of Free and Fair Election Network (Fafen) has elected Ms Mossarat Qadeem as its new chairperson for a term of three years.

Ms Mossarat Qadeem, who has replaced Mr Hameedullah Kakar, is a civil society figure and activist internationally known for her work on women empowerment and peace. She heads Paiman Alumni Trust. This is Ms Mossarat’s second term as Fafen’s chairperson.

Elections for Fafen’s provincial, national and executive councils were held in November 2021. Fafen’s member regional networks had elected their conveners in September and October 2021.

The election of chairperson marks the culmination of Fafen’s transition from a network of civil society organisations to a network of 20 independent regional networks with cumulative membership of over 500 civil society organisations. The transition process started in December 2020.

Ms Mossarat will head a nine-member executive council of Fafen, two members elected from each of four provinces and one member on woman seat, comprising Mukhtar Javed and Zaheer Khattak from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sajid Ali and Zahid Iqbal from Punjab, Hameedullah Kakar and Nasrullah from Balochistan and Younas Bandhani and Jan Odhano from Sindh. Ms Ambreen Ajaib has been elected on woman seat in the Executive Council. The outgoing Executive Council has felicitated the newly-elected chairperson and other members.

Published in Dawn, December 1st, 2021