High Court Bar Association elections today

Buttar said to be the favourite for president.

LAHORE:

The fate of the 17 candidates running for the four positions in the Lahore High Court Bar Association (LHCBA) elections will be decided today.

Bar pundits predict M Aslam Buttar, who is supported by the Hamid Khan Group, as the victor for the seat of president.

Shahram Sarwar Chaudhry, Shafqat Mehmood Chohan and M Sharif Chohan are also running for the slot of president. Sarwar is backed by Asma Jahangir, Muhammad Ahsan Bhoon, Ramzan Chaudhry and several lawyers affiliated with  the PPP.

Sardar Akbar Dogar and Rana Awais Tauseef are two of the eight candidates jostling for the office of the secretary. Dogar lost the election last year and is expected to win this year

The total number of LHCBA members is 20,304. There are 4,622 members defaulting on their dues. Voter members are 15,682. Life members are 9,786 while 1,078 are female members. Buttar is considered a pro-judiciary candidate while Shahram is considered a pro-government candidate.

Shafqat Chohan and Sharif Chohan are both contesting as independent candidates. Shafqat parted ways from the Hamid Khan Group after it did not give him a ticket to run from their platform.

According to chairman of the election board, Advocate Aurangzeb Mirza, nine polling booths have been set up at the bar premises. He added that for the first time computerised voting lists had been prepared. The polling will start at 9 am and will continue till 5 pm with a one hour lunch break at 1 pm. The candidates running for vice president are Afzaal Azeem Pahat and Hafeezur Rehman Chaudhry (the latter is said to be the favourite). The candidates for the finance secretary position include M Ejaz, Asif Javaid Butt, Rao Zafar Mahmood, Rafila Anjum Minhas, Sheikh Faisal Zaheer, Mateenul Haq Ch Mian Shahid Shakir and Humaira Butt.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 25^th, 2012.