Chaudhary Zulifqar Ali was elected as the LBA president. He defeated Numan Qureshi who was fielded by the Asma Jahangir-led Friends Group.
Zulifqar got 2,208 votes while Qureshi obtained 1,867 votes. Amir Iqbal Bashart, another contender for the office received 957 votes.
Out of the 11,670 registered voters, 5,650 lawyers voted at 11 polling booths. The Professional Group had met with defeat in LBA polls for the past two years.
Former Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) presidents Asma Jahangir and Hamid Khan, advocate Asrarul Haq, Justice (retd) Ameer Alam Khan, Sardar Mashkoor and Fareed Pracha also cast their votes.
The polling started at 9 am and continued till 5 pm.
A scuffle broke out at one stage between two groups of Lahore Tex Bar Association (LTBA) lawyers. LTBA’s general secretary Nauman Yahya received injuries to his hand. Another scuffle occurred at a polling room with lawyers abusing one another and accusing each other of wanting to rig polls. The polling stopped for 15 minutes, however, the matter was resolved after members of the Election Commission intervened.
Many supporters chanted slogans in support of their candidates. When the results were announced, many broke out dancing and congratulated one another.
Former SCBA president Hamid Khan said the PPP government was trying to cause a conflict with the judiciary only to cover up the corruption of a few.
Khan said the government wanted the judiciary to deliver only favourable decisions. He said the government should keep in mind that the judiciary was independent now.
The lawyers, he stressed, would support the Supreme Court (SC) against any unconstitutional move by the government to curtail its role. Khan advise the government to implement SC orders and not jeopardise the democratic system in trying to protect the interest of a few.
The former SCBA president said he had never supported military rule and would always favour democracy over dictatorship.
Jahangir said the memo scandal was not being probed by the judicial commission but somewhere in Rawalpindi. Time, she said, would reveal that the memo was merely a plain piece of paper. “We want people’s government in this country, not the rule of army and judiciary,” Jahangir added. She said lawyers had struggled for democracy but the political parties had learnt nothing.
Jahangir admitted that the government had failed to deliver but added that the democratic process should not be derailed.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 15th, 2012.
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This is a great victory of Professional group after a long time in Lahore Bar which they deserve as they put a very good and suitable candidate this time. .