The campaign for Supreme Court Bar Association elections 2011-12 scheduled to be held on October 30 gained momentum on Monday after Justice (r) Rasheed A Rizvi of Hamid Khan’s Professional Group filed his nomination papers to contest SCBA elections for the presidential seat.
In the elections, pro-judiciary Rasheed A Rizvi will come face to face with PPP-Asma Jahangir backed candidate Yaseen Azad for the SCBA president’s slot. Both presidential seat will go to Sindh this year and that is why both main candidates from Sindh province. As it has been practice candidates are divided and supported by two rival groups of lawyers, pro judiciary and pro government factions. However Rasheed A Rizvi and Yaseen Azad being main presidential candidates of the two rival groups have already stated their campaign.
Yaseen Azad, who is backed by current SCBA President Asma Jahangir, is also expected to file his nomination papers soon. The time period to file nomination papers for the polls is set from 3 October to 8 October and the scrutiny of nomination papers will be held on October 11 and the last date for filing an appeal is Oct 18. The final list of candidates for all seats for the SCBA elections 2011012 will be put on display on October 24 at the all SCBA regional offices at the Supreme Courts Registries in all provinces. Rizvi came to Supreme Court’s Lahore Registry flanked by Hamid Khan and a large number of senior lawyers of the group to file his nomination papers.
On the occasion, Rizvi reiterated the old pro-judiciary policy of his group saying that upon winning the polls he will raise a voice for implementation of the judiciary’s judgment and verdicts. He said it is the SCBA’s duty, being the highest bar of the country, to put due pressure on the government if it showed reluctance in obeying judicial orders. He criticised current SCBA president Asma Jahangir who allegedly backed the government against the judiciary when a clash arose between the two on the implementation of court judgment in corruption cases including NRO and the reopening of the Swiss accounts case.
