LHCBA elections: Professional Group endorses Aslam Buttar

Buttar was expected to be rival group’s candidate but was asked to withdraw.

LAHORE: The Professional Group of Lawyers’ decision to support a lawyer who, until recently, supported their rival group might end up splitting the group’s vote bank.

The group headed by Advocate Hamid Khan decided on Saturday to support Aslam Buttar in the presidential election of the Lahore High Court Bar Association (LHCBA).

In return, the group expects Buttar to support its candidates in the Lahore Bar Association, Supreme Court Bar Association and Punjab Bar Council elections, The Express Tribune learnt from people privy to the proceedings of the meeting.

Aslam Buttar, though never a member of Professional Group of Lawyers’ rival group headed by Asma Jahangir, had always supported its candidates, right up to the recent Supreme Court Bar Association elections.

Sources in the Professional Group of Lawyers said that they were also going to nominate their candidates for the Punjab Bar Council elections in consultation with Buttar. The decisions were taken because of the group’s dismal performance in the recent elections of various bar associations.

The endorsement is expected to be made public in a press conference within a couple of days.

Ahmad Awais, Malik Amjad Parvaiz, Mian Abdul Quddoos, Amin Javed, Babar Kaifi, Ziaullah Manj, Kalim Ahmed Khursheed and Burhan Moazzam Malik were among those who attended the meeting that took place at Hamid Khan’s office on Queens Road.

Candidates from within the group, who wanted to run for LHCBA president, were not invited, the source said.

The decision has not gone down too well with some members, especially two who wanted to be in the race for president: Shafqat Mahmood Chohan and Syed Muhammad Shah.

“Most of the Professional Group members are not happy with the decision to support an ‘outsider’. I have the support of 75 per cent of Professional Group members and I will contest the election,” Shafqat Chohan said.

While Chohan insisted that he would still contest the elections, Shah said he will take a decision after consulting his friends.

“Hamid Khan promised him our support and no member raised any objection,” Malik Amjad Parvaiz told The Express Tribune.

Ahmad Awais, a senior leader of the Professional Group said that the decision had been taken after the group failed to agree on a candidate. “The decision will obviously cause disappointment among the group,” Awais said. He added that the group took full responsibility for the “failure”. “We did not announce a candidate early enough,” he said.

LHCBA elections are held on the last Saturday of February and candidates usually start campaigning no later than October of the previous year.

Buttar started campaigning in August and was able to get the backing of Manzoor Qadir, Mian Abdul Quddoos and Burhan Moazzam Malik of the Professional Group.

Buttar was expected to get endorsement of Asma Jahangir Group but it decided to field Shahram Sarwar as its candidate.

Buttar was asked then to withdraw his candidature, according to people familiar with the matter. Sources said that Asma Janahgir Group tried to persuade Buttar to withdraw in a meeting at the Governor’s House on the day Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed took oath as chief justice, but Buttar refused to do so.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 12^th, 2011.