Bar electioneering heats up in Pindi

The election campaign for the eight seats of the Punjab Bar Council (PBC) in the Rawalpindi Division has reached fever pitch, with polling scheduled for November 1.

Candidates and their supporters have blanketed the walls, corridors, and court premises of the District Courts Complex with posters and stickers, transforming the area into a vibrant hub of electioneering activity.

Upon entering the District Courts Rawalpindi, one is immediately struck by the colourful array of campaign material plastered across every visible surface. A total of 34 candidates, including five women lawyers, are contesting for the eight seats assigned to the division.

Of these, five seats are reserved for the Rawalpindi District, attracting 24 candidates. The remaining three seats—one each for Attock, Jhelum, and Chakwal—have likewise drawn multiple contenders.

From Chakwal District, the four candidates in the running are Malik Azhar, Talat Mahmood, Raja Zahoor, and Zaheer Sadiq.

For Attock, the contesting candidates include Rizwana Raja, Faisal Bukhari, and Sardar Tauseef, while Raja Gul Zaman, Ikram-ul-Haq Sheikh, and Abdul Latif are vying for the Jhelum seat.

In Rawalpindi district, prominent names such as Malik Fakhar Hayat, Faisal Mahmood Malik, Ajmal Raza Bhatti, Haider Mahmood Mirza, Sardar Behzad Akram, Hassan Abbas Shah, Shahid Langrial, Shahid Abbasi, Tasleem Abbasi, and Samina Jadoon are among those in the fray for the five available seats.

Across the division, approximately 8,250 lawyers are eligible to vote, with each voter entitled to cast eight votes. The campaigning period will conclude on 30 October, after which no canvassing will be permitted on October 31.