Lahore High Court Bar Association elections today. PHOTO: PPI
Neck-and-neck contest is likely between Shafqat Mahmood Chohan and Chaudhry Naeem in the election for the top slot of the Lahore High Court Bar Association on Saturday (today). Over 17,000 lawyers will cast vote in the polling for 2014-15.
A senior member Mashkoor Ahmad Sindhu has been appointed chairman of the election board. Shafqat Mahmood Chohan has been fielded by Hamid Khan’s Professional group against Chaudhry Naeem of Asma Jahangir’s Friends group for president.
This is Chohan’s third attempt for the top slot.
He contested the last two elections as an independent candidate.
He has the support of the Arain and Rajpoot clans besides political wings of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP).
A coalition of Mian Israrul Haq, a prominent leader of the Arain clan in bar politics, with the professional group decides the election in Chohan’s favour.
Many bigwigs of the bar and former office bearers are siding with the professional group. Pakistan Bar Council members Pir Kalim Khurshid, Amin Javed, Maqsood Buttar, Mian Abdul Quddus, and former presidents of LHCBA Nasira Javed Iqbal, Fakharunisa Khokhar, Ahmad Awais and Asghar Ali Gill, former finance secretary Rabbiya Bajwa, Khwaja Tariq Sohail, Azhar Siddique and Zulfiqar Bokhari are among Chohan’s main campaigners.
Independent group’s Chaudhry Naeem is a former president of the Lahore Bar Association.
His chief supporters include Ahsan Bhoon, Azam Nazir Tarar, Ramzan Chaudhry, Syed Kalbe Hassan, Burhan Moazzam Malik, all members of Pakistan Bar Council).
A group led by Justice (r) Malik Qayum is also backing him.
Amir Jalil Siddiqui and Irfan Arif Sheikh are in the run for vice president. They belong to Professional and Independent groups respectively.
There are four candidates contesting for bar’s secretary.
They are Mian Asghar Ali, Mian Ahmad Chichar, Zahid Sikandar Sheikh and Mian Umar Farooq. Nabila Manzoor Jafri, Syed Akhtar Sherazi and Mian Iqbal are vying for slot of finance secretary.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 22nd, 2014.
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