Fierce contest looms as politics enters bar polls

Observers say outcome could influence broader political alignments ahead of 2026

RAWALPINDI:

Final preparations have been completed for the Punjab Bar Council (PBC) elections in the Rawalpindi Division, where eight members will be chosen, and for the annual elections of the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA).

Campaigning has entered its final and most intense phase, with both contests drawing significant political and institutional attention.

Amid the heightened political stakes expected in the coming year at both national and provincial levels, major political parties - including the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Pakistan Muslim League–Nawaz (PML-N), Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) - have thrown their weight behind candidates.

For the first time, the federal and Punjab governments, alongside the establishment, are said to be actively supporting favoured candidates, in a bid to consolidate their influence within the legal community.

In the SCBA elections, scheduled for October 16, the PPP and PML-N have reportedly mobilised large numbers of young lawyers by issuing Supreme Court practice licences on an emergency basis, thereby enrolling them as eligible voters.

Polling will run from 9am to 5pm at the Supreme Court Bar and the registries of the Supreme Court. A keenly contested presidential race is anticipated between Advocate Taufiq Asif and Haroon Rashid, with observers predicting a close and politically charged contest.

The PBC elections will follow on November 1, taking place in district and tehsil courts across the province between 8am and 4pm. Within Rawalpindi Division, eight representatives will be elected: five from Rawalpindi district, and one each from Attock, Jhelum and Chakwal districts. The electoral college comprises 12,500 registered lawyers, each entitled to cast eight votes - five for Rawalpindi district candidates and one for each of the remaining districts.

A total of 24 candidates are contesting these seats. From Rawalpindi: Malik Fakhar Hayat, Malik Faisal Mahmood, Hassan Abbas Hamdani, Haider Mahmood Mirza, Shahid Mehmood Abbasi, Ajmal Raza Bhatti, Samina Jadoon and Qaiser Mushtaq; from Attock: Rizwana Raja and Faisal Bukhari; from Jhelum: Malik Ikram; and from Chakwal: Raja Gul Zaman, Malik Azhar and Talat Mahmood.

With 8,000 registered voters in Rawalpindi district alone, candidates see a decisive lead in this constituency as key to overall success.