Lawyers cast ballots in peaceful Punjab Bar polls

Over 12,000 lawyers vote as political parties, senior advocates rally support

RAWALPINDI:

Polling for eight seats of the Punjab Bar Council (PBC) in the Rawalpindi Division on Saturday was held in a peaceful and orderly manner.

The tally for so far shows a clear lead for five of the eight seats with less than 30 per cent of the votes counting remaining.

The District Courts Complex was a scene of vibrant activity, almost resembling an electoral arena, as thousands of lawyers turned out to cast their votes. Malik Fakhar Hayat is ahead with 1,126 votes, Hassan Abbas Hamdani is second with 721 votes, Faisal Mahmood Malik is third with 648 votes, Shahid Mahmood Abbasi is fourth with 607 votes and Chaudhary Qaiser Mushtaq is fifth with 578 votes. Lawyers took to dancing and chanting slogans outside the Judicial Complex as soon as tentative results were released.

A total of 34 candidates contested for the eight available seats, with 12,550 registered lawyers eligible to vote. Twenty polling booths were established to facilitate the process. Among those exercising their franchise were senior advocates as well as female lawyers — including several who had temporarily stepped away from regular practice after marriage.

From the early hours of the morning until late into the night, the Judicial Complex remained a hive of activity. The atmosphere throughout the day was lively and convivial; tables were laden with peanuts, roasted chickpeas, rewri, biryani, chicken pulao, and steaming cups of qahwa and tea, while the morning began with traditional halwa puri.

Although the Lahore High Court (LHC) had declared a general holiday for the judiciary owing to the provincial bar elections — regarded as the largest electoral exercise for lawyers in Punjab — legal practitioners continued to arrive in large numbers to fulfil their civic duty. Lawyers' chambers stood deserted, while the polling stations thrummed with energy and excitement.

Female lawyers were also seen actively participating as polling agents for various candidates. Meanwhile, all major political parties and key establishment circles were fully engaged in supporting their favoured nominees.

The Pakistan People's Party (PPP), Pakistan Muslim League (N), Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), and Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) were observed providing transport to facilitate voters' arrival and departure from the courts.

Senior lawyers with strong institutional ties also campaigned energetically throughout the day. Duty judges remained on-site, and their courtrooms witnessed heavy footfall as polling continued. To ensure the smooth conduct of the process, twenty polling booths were established, with District and Sessions Judge Abid Rizwan Abid personally supervising the election proceedings.

Prominent political figures from the legal community were seen casting their votes — many sporting stickers bearing the names of their preferred candidates, while others, the so-called silent voters, chose to cast their ballots discreetly. Observers noted that the direction of these undecided voters would ultimately determine the fate of the election.

Of the eight seats contested, five were allocated to District Rawalpindi, while Attock, Jhelum, and Chakwal had one seat each. Each lawyer was entitled to cast eight votes, which contributed to a relatively slow polling pace throughout the day.