Ahsan Bhoon new SCBA president

Defeats rival Sardar Lateef Khan Khosa of Professional Group by wide margin

ISLAMABAD:

Asma Group's candidate Ahsan Bhoon has been elected as the president of the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) for 2021-22.

According to unofficial results, Bhoon got victory of over 600 votes’ margin which is being considered as the biggest victory in the last decade.

For the top slot, the Independent Lawyers Group, which is also known as Asma Group, fielded Ahsan Bhoon while the Professional Group, also known as Hamid Khan Group, nominated senior lawyer Sardar Lateef Khan Khosa.

Interestingly, Bhoon was once a student of Khosa. Both candidates belonged to Punjab and both have political affiliation with the Pakistan People's Party (PPP). However, the PPP leadership had instructed party lawyers to vote for Khosa.

Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) leadership instructed party lawyers to vote for Bhoon.

Talking to the media persons, the newly elected SCBA President Ahsan Bhoon said: “Welfare of lawyers is his main agenda.”

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He said that parliament has weakened as an institution, and “we need to empower it and remind parliamentarians that they have a duty beyond titles and positions”.

He said they would request parliamentarians to change the system in view of people’s aspirations rather than working for their own objectives.

Currently, the bar and the bench are not on the same page regarding the appointment of judges, especially the elevation of high court judges to the Supreme Court. Therefore, it will be a big challenge for the next SCBA president how he deals with this issue.

It is being witnessed that both sections of the lawyers opposed the government’s move regarding the removal of Justice Qazi Faez Isa. Likewise, both the groups are unanimous that Supreme Court judges should be appointed on the principle of seniority.

However, during his tenure as the Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) vice chairman, Bhoon had supported former chief justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar.

Senior lawyers believe that it is a big challenge for the new SCBA president as to how he maintained relations with the superior judiciary.