LAHORE, Jan 6: As many as 6,300 lawyers will go to polls on Saturday (today) to elect their leadership for the Lahore Bar Association, which is said to be the biggest bar in Asia, for 2006. Polling will be conducted at the district courts by a commission, headed by Rai Bashir Ahmad, from 8am to 4pm.

The total membership is more than 11,500 and about 55 per cent of them are eligible to vote after getting their annual dues cleared.

Imran Masood is considered to be a strong candidate for the office of the LBA president after his potential rival Chaudhry Muhammad Zahoor Nasir announced the withdrawal of candidate in his favour.

Mr Masood has the backing of powerful lawyer groups, including the one headed by Chaudhry Muhammad Ashraf Wahla and A. Karim Malik. The PPP and the PML-N lawyers’ organizations have also announced their support to him.

Supreme Court Bar Association President Malik Muhammad Qayyum has also thrown his weight behind him. Malik Qayyum is, in fact, the moving spirit behind the withdrawal of Mr Nasir’s candidature last week.

The real contest for the presidential office is between Mr Masood and Syed Muhammad Shah, who enjoys the support of the Professional Group, headed by Hamid Khan, and certain quarters of the People’s Lawyers Forum. Chaudhry Liaquat Ali Khan is the third candidate for the office with the support of Muhammad Kazim Khan who is also associated with the Progressive Group.

Liaquat Ali withdrew his candidature last year on a commitment that he would be the Progressive Group’s candidate for 2006. The commitment has, however, not been honoured and a strong member of the faction, Kazim Khan, has come out in his support on moral grounds.

Babar Waheed, Muhammad Arif Awan, Muhammad Asadullah, Iftikhar Ahmad Bhatti, Muhammad Junaid Butt and Muhammad Irshad Baig are in the run for two seats of vice-president. The chances of Babar and Awan are brighter than others. As for the vice-president’s seats from Model Town courts, Muhammad Abid Butt and Jameel Ahmad are in the run.

Muhammad Nauman Qureshi and Malik Shamimur Rehman seem to be enjoying the support of a majority of lawyers for the office of the two seats for the LBA secretary. Others in the contest are Rao Muhammad Sami and Syed Afzaal Haider Naqvi.

Robinson Masih, Kamran Rashid Mughal and Chaudhry Muhammad Ismael are contesting for the office of the LBA joint secretary. The contest for the lone seat of finance secretary is among Waseem Rehmat, Sheikh Muhammad Saleem and Siam Ahmad Chauhan.