Lawyers exercise right of vote to elect SCBA's new body

ISLAMABAD: The members of Supreme Court Bar are exercising their right to vote on Wednesday (today) in the ongoing election of the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA)  to elect its new body for 2018-19.

A total of 3,047 voters across the country cast their votes to elect the 22-member body.

Ali Ahmed Kurd, the candidate fielded by Asma Jahangir Group contesting for the SCBA’s President slot against Haimd Khan group’s candidate, Amanullah Kanrani.

Kurd, who was a leader of the lawyers’ movement for restoration of judges in 2007, is being supported by the former SCBA President, Yasin Azad, while Amanullah Kanrani, who had resigned as advocate general of Balochistan in March this year, is getting support from Law Minister Dr Farogh Nasim and Attorney General of Pakistan Anwar Mansoor Khan, who have been affiliated with Hamid Khan group.

As per policy of SCBA, the president of the bar is elected from different province each year as per rotation policy. The slot of the president has been reserved for Balochistan this year .

For the slot of the secretary general of SCBA, the contest is between Shamim-ur-Rehman Malik and Azmatullah Chaudhry, while Ali Ahmed Rana and Mahmood A Sheikh are running for the position of finance secretary .

The process of polling started at 9:00 am today to continue till 5:00 pm without any break. Polling stations have been set up in Karachi, Quetta, Peshawar, Abbottabad, Lahore, Multan, Bahawalpur, Islamabad and other cities.

The SCBA body consists of the president, four vice-presidents (one from each province), secretary, additional secretary, finance secretary and 14 members elected from across Pakistan (at least two from each province).