LAHORE, Dec 20: Lawyers violated the code of conduct with impunity during the polling held here on Monday for the election of a 75-member PBC general council for the next five years.

However, the fraternity members showed keen interest in the polls as long queues were witnessed at the Aiwan-i-Adal and lawyers waited long to exercise the right to vote. Still the polling was not as heavy as in the same election in 1999 and, according to a conservative assessment, about 35 per cent lawyers cast their vote. About 50 per cent was the voting ratio five years ago.

No untoward incident was reported from across the Punjab where election was held in 33 of 34 districts. Polling at Shujabad however, faced a problem when ballot papers fell short of the number of registered voters because, according to officiating advocate-general Mohammad Hanif Khatana, a confusion resulted when several polling agents stormed a polling station.

He told Dawn that arrangements had been made to dispatch the required number of ballot papers to Shujabad where the lawyers, who could not cast vote, would be allowed to do so on Tuesday.

According to Mr Khatana, re-polling was decided only for the lawyers who failed to cast vote. The ballot box used on Monday had been sealed and brought to Lahore. Another would be placed for the remaining part of the election, he said.

Hanif Khatana said the election throughout the province was a peaceful exercise and lawyers generally abided by the code of conduct. However, he said some incidents of in discipline were reported but they were not a major problem in view of the huge exercise which involved some 42,000 lawyers. He said official results would be announced on Jan 18.

As for the election scene in Lahore, where 84 candidates contested for 16 seats, lawyers flouted the PBC restriction on distributing election material in support of their candidates and also entered into canvassing openly.

Such scenes also led to protestation from other lawyers but nobody was there to restore discipline. The PBC had said in the code of conduct that violators would be disqualified.

Incidents of in discipline indicated the result of the new arrangement where candidates were prohibited from issuing voters slips and the PBC, which took upon itself the duty, was simply unable to cater to the needs of a big number of lawyers with the help of a small staff.

UNOFFICIAL RESULTS: Punjab Bar Council vice-chairperson Chaudhry Tanvirur Rehman Randhawa is reported to have won PBC membership from Faisalabad for the second time.