Independent Group wins majority seats in PBC polls

LAHORE: The Independent Group, famously known as the late Asma Jahangir Group, won majority seats in the 23-member house of the Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) in an election held on Thursday for the next five-year term 2020-25. Out of 11 seats of Punjab, the group won nine while the remaining two seats were secured by the Hamid Khan-led Professional Group. As per unofficial results, the successful candidates are Muhammad Ahsan Bhoon, who also heads the Independent Group, Azam Nazir Tarar, Abid Saqi, Tahir Nasarullah Warraich, Pir Masood Chishti, Hafeezur Rehman Chaudhry, Hassan Raza Pasha, Mirza Aziz Akbar Baig and Syed Kalb-e-Hassan. The Professional group’s winners from Punjab are Chaudhry Ishtiaq A Khan and Shafqat Mahmood Chohan.

The Independent Group also claimed to have won four out of six seats of Sindh and three out of four of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Attorney General of Pakistan Khalid Jawed Khan, who conducted the election as returning officer, would announce the official result on January 5 in Islamabad. The respective advocate generals for the provinces administered the polling process wherein members of the provincial bar councils took part.

Meanwhile, former president of the Supreme Court Bar Association Mian Israrul Haq passed away on Thursday. A large number of lawyers attended his funeral prayers offered at 10pm in Baghbanpura. He was also a candidate in the election of the PBC. Haq was twice elected president of the Lahore High Court Bar Association and remained a member of the PBC.