Address to KBA members: New SCBA president kicks off controversy by ‘dropping in’

The event was boycotted by KBA office bearers and managing committee.

KARACHI:

The newly elected president of the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA), Yasin Khan Azad, was caught in a controversy as he addressed the members of Karachi Bar on Wednesday afternoon.

The event was boycotted by the office bearers and the members of the managing committee of the Karachi Bar Association (KBA).

Syed Haider Imam Rizvi, the honorary secretary of the KBA, criticizing his unscheduled address to the members of Karachi Bar, said that this ‘sudden incursion and address was very unfortunate.’

According to the perturbed KBA secretary, Yasin Khan Azad came to the premises of the KBA in the morning.

He was accompanied by Anwar Mansoor Khan, the president of the Sindh High Court Bar Association, and distributed sweets to celebrate his victory in the recent SCBA elections.

There were arrangements in the Shuhada-e-Punjab Hall of the KBA in connection with a legal education learning workshop. Azad suddenly came in and started addressing the members.

He tried to give an impression that he was invited and that despite being informed, the managing committee and office bearers, including the honorary secretary and president, had chosen to stay away, said the angry KBA secretary.

“We recognise his victory and accept him as the chief of the highest bar and welcome him as a member of the KBA.

He has all the right to celebrate his victory too but such a sudden incursion and address was very unfortunate,” said Haider Imam Rizvi who led the rival Rasheed Razvi camp in the SCBA elections.

“Respecting his seniority, we, however, allowed him to complete his address and then went ahead with our scheduled programme,” he said criticizing the manner in which the events occurred in the morning and afternoon.

Salahuddin Gandapur, an aide of Yasin Khan Azad, disputed this version of events. “We were invited by the KBA and vice resident Abdul Hameed Yousufi and joint secretary Saeed Abbasi were present to welcome us.”

To a question, he said that nothing indecent happened and it was Azad’s right to address the members of the Karachi Bar.

“We see no harm if the KBA secretary comes to the SCBA to address members there,” said Salahuddin Ganadpur, defending Yasin Azad’s arrival and speech.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 3^rd, 2011.