PESHAWAR: Awami National Party provincial president Mian Iftikhar Hussain has said that lawyers thwarted all attempts of rigging and political bribery by provincial government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Bar Council elections.

In a statement issued here on Monday, he said that provincial government released millions of rupees in grants to bar associations just two days before the elections. He termed it political bribery. “We are not against giving grants to bar councils, but doing so right before elections was evidence of the government’s mala fide intentions and an attempt to influence the outcome,” he alleged.

The ANP leader said that had the government not used such unethical and undemocratic tactics, Malgary Wakeelan and their allied panels would have secured greater number of seats. He said that provincial government also attempted to appoint advocate generals and assistant advocate generals as returning officers in different districts to manipulate the elections.

However, Malgary Wakeelan leader Tariq Afghan raised his voice against the move and took up the matter legally with the attorney general of Pakistan, who declared the provincial government’s notification illegal and unconstitutional, he said.

Mr Hussain said that lawyers rejected government’s undemocratic tactics and upheld the principles of truth, integrity and ideology. “The victory of Malgary Wakeelan on 13 seats is in fact a referendum by lawyers against the provincial government,” he declared.

He congratulated all winning members of Malgary Wakeelan and their allied panels, expressing gratitude to all lawyers, who reposed their trust in them. He said that ANP always stood for transparent, impartial and fair elections as it strongly believed in democracy, judicial independence and rule of law.

Mr Hussain termed the success of Malgary Wakeelan a victory of democratic thinking, public trust and principled politics. “It proves that the lawyers of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are still the true heirs of Bacha Khan’s philosophy of non-violence and democracy,” he added.

He said that ANP would stand shoulder to shoulder with legal fraternity on every forum and would continue its struggle for democracy, constitutional supremacy, rule of law and sovereignty of parliament.

Published in Dawn, November 4th, 2025