Bar association politics: Lawyer asked to return TVs

Former association president accuses cabinet of corruption.

KARACHI:

Former president of the Malir Bar Association, Amanullah Yousufzai, was issued a notice on Friday to submit two LCDs, which have allegedly been in his possession for the past one year, within three days.

According to the association’s general secretary, Lutufullah Seelro, Yousufzai took the LCDs for repair a year back but never returned them to the association.

“He [Yousufzai] tore up the notice in presence of other bar members,” said the general secretary. “Being a lawyer, a former president and member of the Sindh Bar Council, Yousufzai should have responded to the notice through legal actions.” Seelro said that the two LCDs, worth Rs110,000, were needed for the ladies’ bar room and office of the association’s president.

The former president, however, said that one of the LCDs was donated by him and although he took them for repair, the cost came up to be more than their original price.

Alleging that the current cabinet has not taken their oath, he said that this notice was an attempt to hide their own corruption. He alleged that the bar has yet to give Rs200,000 as compensation to the family of Salahuddin Haider, former association president who was gunned down in March, 2012. His son was also killed in the attack.

He did, however, say that the LCDs would be returned Saturday.

Meanwhile, a member of the managing committee, Wazeer Ali Bohio, and librarian, Abida Junejo, resigned citing different reasons.

According to Bohio, he resigned because the executive body did not hold a meeting after it was elected in May this year. He alleged that salary cheques of employees have been “dishonoured”. The librarian said that her resignation came due to interference in her job by the general secretary and other bar members.

“Bohio and Junejo are only trying to save Yousufzai,” alleged Seelro while accepting their resignations.

As for the executive body meeting, Seerlo said that it is called when at least nine members of the body sign on an issue to be discussed. All other issues are solved face-to-face on daily basis.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 13^th, 2012.