LAHORE: Stage is all set for the annual election 2026-27 of the Lahore Bar Association, the largest district bar of Asia, scheduled to be held on Saturday (today).

A total of 39 candidates are contesting for 11 offices of the association.

In addition to the two traditional rival groups’ candidates, a third candidate is also in the race for the presidency. Two women lawyers are also participating in the elections, while one woman candidate has already been elected unopposed.

For the president slot, two former members of the Punjab Bar Council are once again facing each other.

Irfan Hayat Bajwa is the candidate of the Hamid Khan-led Professional Group and is contesting for president’s office for the second time.

Ahsan Bhoon-led Independent Group, famously known as Asma Jahangir Group, fielded Adeeb Aslam Bhinder, who is trying his luck for the third time for the same post.

Shahid Jamal Butt is also contesting for the presidency as an independent candidate.

For the two posts of vice president, Chaudhry Mushtaq Jammu, Hafiz Mushtaq Naeemi, Sheikh Kashif Ali, Mian Tahir Munir and Humayun Zaheer Bhatti are in the contest.

For the vice president Model Town seat, Kashif Siddique Gujjar, Naveed Hanif Kamboh and Asif Kanwal Khan are contesting while for the vice president Cantt seat, Zahid Mahmood Gill and Imran Olakh are facing each other.

Shoaib Ashraf Bhatti, Chaudhry Afnan Munawar, Malik Fahad Nisar Khokhar and Rizwan Arshad are contesting for the two seats of secretary.

For the post of joint secretary, Samina Basra, Asad Abbas Sheikh and Salman Raheem Khokhar are in the race. For the finance secretary seat, there is a one-on-one contest between Zohaib Khan and Yasir Nazir.

For the post of library secretary, five candidates, including one woman, are contesting.

These include Samina Khokhar, Arshad Chadhar, Faryad Chaudhry, Talib Naqvi and Nauman Ali Goraya. For the post of auditor, Raheela Hafeez Rana has been elected unopposed.

According to Imran Masood, the chairman of the association’s election commission, voting will be held from 9am to 5pm. As many as 15,790 eligible members would exercise their right to vote. The polling for the LBA elections would be conducted under a biometric system.

Published in Dawn, January 10th, 2026