LAHORE: In a third consecutive win of the Hamid Khan-led Professional group, Malik Asif Ahmad Nissoana was elected president of the Lahore High Court Bar Association (LHCBA) in an election held on Saturday for the year 2025-26.

Nissoana defeated Saqib Akram Gondal of the Independent group in a one-on-one contest with a margin of 590 votes. The winner, who was backed by lawyers’ wings of PTI and JI, secured victory with 7,050 votes while Gondal bagged 6,460 votes.

Gondal contested for the second time as he had lost his previous election to Asad Manzoor Butt.

For the vice president position, Abdul Rehman Ranjha won with 8,255 votes. His closest competitor Haseeb bin Yousaf secured 4,503 votes while third candidate Abdul Rauf Chadhar received 679 votes.

A tough competition was observed for the secretary’s slot, where PTI-backed Farrukh Ilyas Cheema emerged victorious with 6,833 votes. His opponent, Qasim Ijaz Sumra secured 6,630 votes, losing by a margin of 203 votes.

For the finance secretary position, Ham bin Shoaib has already been elected unopposed.

A total of 13,603 lawyers exercised their right to vote in the polling. The supporters of the newly-elected office-bearers celebrated their victory by chanting slogans in favour of their candidates. The PTI lawyers also chanted slogans in support of incarcerated former prime minister Imran Khan.

Newly-elected President Asif Nissoana announced his commitment to upholding constitutional supremacy and continuing the struggle against the 26th constitutional amendment.

Several legal dignitaries, including former law ministers and prominent lawyers participated in the LHCBA elections.

Some bar members believe that the opposition to the 26th amendment played a vital role in the victory of the Hamid Khan group. However, others see mishandling of political alliances by the Independent group as the defeat margin was not wide.

Published in Dawn, February 23rd, 2025