February 06, 2007	Tuesday	Muharram 17, 1428

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LAHORE, Feb 5: Some 11,000 lawyers will elect members of the Lahore High Court Bar Association (LHCBA) on Feb 24, involving mainly the traditional caste and group elements.

However, the election seems to be different and interesting this time because candidates from Jat clan are going to oppose each other on most of the seats. Besides the caste element, two main groups of the lawyers, Professionals and Progressives, will also play a vital role.

Already having won the elections of the Supreme Court Bar Association and the Lahore Bar Association (LBA), the Professionals, headed by lawyers Hamid Khan and Chaudhry Ashraf Wahla, will certainly have a decisive role to play against the Progressives headed by Justice Malik Muhammad Qayyum (retired) and PPP Senator Sardar Latif Khosa. Main castes, which make basis of the election campaign, include Jats, Arains and Rajputs. Mostly in the previous elections, Rajputs make alliance with Jats. However, none of the castes make a win-win situation without an alliance with either of the two lawyers’ groups.

For president’s slot, Ahsan Bhoon considered a candidate of Malik Qayyum group and Nusrat Javed Bajwa, a candidate of Professionals, both Jats, will make main contest, while yet another Jat, Muazzam Iqbal Gill, will also run for the post.

For the important seat of the bar secretary, contest is again between two Jats, Jehanzeb Wahla and Sarfraz Cheema, although there is another Jat, Malik Waheed, in the run, who, however, is not considered to be a serious candidate. Ahmad Qayyum, the son of Justice Qayyum, has already withdrawn his candidature for the slot. His withdrawal has appeared to be a question mark for lawyers, who have been taking him as a very serious and strong candidate. He had already done a lot for his campaign, including issuing a very strong manifesto.

Four candidates are in run for vice-president. Ferdaus Butt has the support of Professionals while Progressives have put weight behind Mian Aslam, while the other two, Waqar Sarwar and Naeem Arain, have been seeking support from other elements, including the caste factors. Farhad Tirmizi, Ziauddin Zia and Rubi Hayat Awan are contesting for finance secretary.