Keen contest expected as 15 vie for 5 seats in Hazara

ABBOTTABAD: A keen contest is expected in Hazara division, as 15 candidates are vying for five seats in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Bar Council elections scheduled for November 1.

According to the seat distribution, Abbottabad and Mansehra districts will elect two members each, while Haripur will elect one out of 28 total seats of the province, setting the stage for intense competition among the legal fraternity.

The most interesting contest is in Abbottabad, where eight lawyers are competing for two seats. The prominent candidates include former district bar president Asad Khan Jadoon, and former KP Bar Council members Syed Faisal Shah and Ali Khan Jadoon. They are challenged by Kamran Gul, Saeed Tanoli, Malik Waseem, and Zareef Qureshi. Abdul Aziz Khan Tanoli is reported to be running as a covering candidate for Syed Faisal Shah. Interesting part of the KP Bar Council Election is that every voter will cost five votes; two each for Abbottabad and Mansehra and one vote for Mansehra.

In Haripur, the election has narrowed to a direct contest between two former district bar presidents, Assadullah Malik and Syed Shahid Shah, both of whom command significant influence locally.Meanwhile, Mansehra witnesses a five-candidate race for its two seats, featuring Waqas Raza Khan, Sardar Waqar ul Mulk, Hafiz Naseem Khan, Rafique Yousaf and Kamran Rehmani.

A total of 2,370 advocates across the division are eligible to vote. The major voter concentrations are in Abbottabad (850), Haripur (702), and Mansehra (600), with smaller numbers in Havelian, Ghazi, Balakot, Oghi and Battagram.