The annual election of the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) will be held on Thursday (today), with experts saying the poll cannot be overlooked in view of the prevailing political situation.
Both rival groups, Asma Jahangir Group (independent lawyers group) and Hamid Khan Group (professional lawyers group), have fielded candidates on all seats.
The Asma group has nominated senior lawyer Abdul Latif Afridi for the seat of the president while the Hamid Khan Group is backing Abdul Sattar Khan. Both candidates belong to Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. Total votes are more than 3,100.
It is learned that legal wings of different political parties are “actively involved in bar politics” because of the ongoing political situation. The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and the Pakistan Peoples Party legal wings are campaigning for the Asma Jahangir Group candidate. Likewise, Law Minister Dr Farogh Naseem is supporting the Hamid Khan Group candidate. Even, Insaf Lawyers Forum Chairman Ali Zafar is also backing the Asma Jahangir Group candidate.
According to the Independent Lawyers Group, Afridi would get the victory because of his firm stance on civilian supremacy. Afridi, who is doing legal practice for the last 50 years, is a strong supporter of the PTM. He is also pleading missing person’s cases regularly, likewise, he is a strong critic of the “military involvement in politics”.
On the other hand, Hamid Khan is one of the main supporters of Justice Qazi Faez Isa in the ongoing legal battle regarding his removal. But Sattar, the Hamid Khan Group candidate, had opposed the Pakistan Bar Council resolution against the presidential reference against Justice Isa. Therefore, few senior members of the Professional Lawyers Group have reservations on Sattar’s nomination for the president slot.
Many people admit that Sattar had effectively run his campaign in the election, with approaching “every voter” for support. However, Afridi claims to have an advantage over his opponent that his group is more organised than the Hamid Khan Group in all over the country.
Hamid Khan Group active member Shoiab Shaheen told The Express Tribune, “Everyone will be surprised to know that the PTI, the PML-N and the PTM are on the same page in the SCBA election.” Moreover, ILF Chairman Ali Zafar is supporting Afridi.
Shaheen wonders that the PTI is backing the candidate who has an anti-military view.
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