Syed Arif Hasan has retained his seat as President of the Pakistan Olympic Association for a record fourth term ©Getty Images

Syed Arif Hasan has retained his seat as President of the Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) for a record fourth term following elections in Lahore.

According to unofficial results, Arif gained an overwhelming majority in the 127-member General Council with more than 80 votes.

The Election Commission withheld the results due to a stay order issued by Peshawar High Court against the POA’s elections.

Muhammad Akram Sahi, President of the Athletics Federation of Pakistan (AFP), could only secure 33 votes and thus suffered defeat for a second time having also lost out in 2012.

Muhammad Khalid Mahmood was also successful in keeping his post of secretary general for the next four years having gained in excess of 80 votes, according to sources.

Mahmood’s main rival Khawaja Idris Haider could obtain only 29 votes, while the other candidate Khalil Ahmad Khan got just seven.

Furthermore, Mohammad Shafiq retained the post of treasurer with a clear 80-37 victory against Chaudhry Mohammad Asghar.  

Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah had met with Pakistan officials in a bid to ease tensions
Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah had met with Pakistan officials in a bid to ease tensions ©Getty Images

Pakistani sport has been in a fractious state in recent times and the country came close to a suspension from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 2014 before steps were taken to improve relations between warring bodies.

This culminated in the POA returning to their headquarters at Olympic House in Lahore after an agreement was reached between the body and a rebel group led by Sahi. 

Sahi, who once led a parallel National Olympic Committee, had occupied the building since September 2013 in protest against Arif's leadership.

The AFP, as well as the Pakistan Judo Federation, Pakistan Cycling Federation and the Pakistan Netball Federation, all also split from the POA, although they remained recognised by their respective International Federations.

A meeting with Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) President Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah in Lausanne in October helped to remedy the tensions and all four Federations were invited to participate in the elections. 

Arif, a former general in the Pakistani army, has led the POA since 2004 and has also served as one of 10 OCA vice-presidents since 2007.

He told reporters that the election process went quite smoothly and also hailed the Election Commissioner for "performing the task in a professional manner".

Arif added: “I will be in a position to talk about my future programme after the issuance of official notification."

He also prioritised Pakistan’s participation in the 2016 South Asian Games, which are scheduled to take place in the Indian cities of Guwahati and Shillong from February 5 to 16.