Asma group’s Qalab-e-Hassan wins SCBA polls

Elected as lawyer body’s president with an overwhelming majority

ISLAMABAD: Syed Qalab-e-Hassan – a candidate belonging to the Asma Jahangir Group – has been elected by a wide margin as the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) president at the SCBA annual election 2019-20 that took place on Thursday.

Hassan belongs to Islamabad and has worked as the Islamabad High Court (IHC) judge from February 15, 2008 till July 31, 2009. Currently, he is a member of Pakistan Bar Council's (PBC) enrolment committee.

He bagged 400 votes more than the runner-up Shoaib Shaheen – a candidate belonging to the Hamid Khan Group. Shaheen's defeat is a setback for the federal government as Law Minister Dr Farogh Naseem and Attorney General for Pakistan Anwar Mansoor Khan were actively involved in his election campaign.

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League Quaid (PML-Q) legal wings, however, backed Asma Group's candidate.

Talking to The Express Tribune, the newly elected SCBA President Syed Qalb-i-Hassan thanked the PML-N, the PPP and the PML-Q leadership for supporting him in the election.

He demanded resignation of Law Minister Dr Farogh Naseem, who, according to him, was involved in pre-poll rigging by giving different offers to lawyers for gaining support for the opponent candidate.

Asma Group senior leader Yasin Azad said his group won most of the SCBA executive body seats. He said the election result showed how legal community was against the government policies.

Azad said the newly elected SCBA office-bearers will keep supporting the Supreme Court judge Qazi Faez Isa, who is facing a presidential reference for not disclosing his family members’ foreign assets.

Senior lawyer Sardar Aslam who is a close aide of Qalb-i-Hassan is attending all apex court hearings to express solidarity with Justice Isa. However, the SCBA secretary's seat is won by Malik Shamim – a candidate belonging to the Hamid Khan Group – by a small margin.