ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)-backed lawyers panel has suffered a major setback in the recently held elections of Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA), losing not only nationally but also at all polling stations across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), the province considered a PTI stronghold.
Sources revealed that party chairman Imran Khan has not yet been informed about the extent of the defeat, particularly in KP despite the fact that several of PTI’s top leaders belong to the legal fraternity. The PTI-supported panel, led by Senator Hamid Khan, was unable to secure victory in any of the polling stations in the province. Infighting within the PTI is said to be the main reason for this defeat in the stronghold of the party.
The News was informed that in Peshawar, the PTI-backed panel secured 181 votes against 186 polled in favour of the Independent Group candidate supported by Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar. In Abbottabad, the PTI-supported candidate managed just 19 votes, while the pro-government panel bagged 55. In Swat, the PTI candidate received 23 votes compared to 27 for his opponent, while in Bannu, the PTI-backed contender got only five votes against 25 for the Independent Group’s nominee.
The Independent Group, led by Law Minister Tarar and senior lawyer Ahsan Bhoon, registered another sweeping victory in the SCBA elections last week, with its candidate Haroon-ur-Rasheed being elected president by a margin of over 400 votes. The group also secured most seats in the SCBA executive body.