LAHORE – The Lahore Bar Association (LBA) Election Board could not perform efficiently and took more than 12 hours to announce the final results of the 2011 elections. Poor voting facilities and over-crowded premises did not allow a number of lawyers to cast their vote while only 42.06 percent lawyers could caste their vote and the rest had to return back empty handed. Around 1,816 votes out of the total 4,507 were cast in favour of Shahzad Hassan Sheikh of the Friends Alliance Group, which was backed by the People’s Lawyers Forum and Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) President Asma Jahangir, which helped him get elected as LBA president. His main rival Abdul Latif Hanjra, backed by lawyer leader Hamid Khan secured 1,658 while Ziauddin Ansari bagged 687 votes and MR Awan 268.
The election results have dealt another serious blow to the Progressive Group, backed by Hamid Khan, after it also lost in the SCBA presidential elections. The contests for two vice president seats and secretary general were closely fought. Intizar Hussain and Farhad Shah were elected LBA secretaries by bagging 1,920 and 1,866 votes respectively while Shahid Bhulla and Jawad Gill managed 1,705 and 1,666 votes respectively. Azfar Kamal Kharal obtained 1,691 votes and emerged as senior vice president while Arif Mahmood was elected LBA junior VP by securing 1,430 votes. Muhammad Hafeez defeated Riaz Bhatti by bagging 2,397 votes and was elected Model Town vice president. Mubeen Nasreen obtained 1,117 votes and was elected as LBA joint secretary.
Azmat Nazir Hashmi was elected as finance secretary by bagging 1,690 votes while his rivals Azeem A Sheikh and Hafiz Mushtaq Ahmad Naeemi bagged 1,427 and 1,243 votes respectively. For the post of LBA library secretary, Hafeez Rafique won by defeating Sheikh Amir. Sheikh Tariq Hussain was elected as auditor unopposed. Around 10,715 lawyers of subordinate courts had got themselves registered for the LBA polls, although the bar has a membership of over 18,000 voters.
