LAHORE: The members of the two rival lawyer groups – one led by Hamid Khan and the other by Ahsan Bhoon — came face to face during a meeting convened on Monday to resolve the dispute over the Lahore High Court Bar Association (LHCBA) election results.

The gathering quickly descended into disorder, with heated arguments escalating to pushing and shoving. In an ugly incident that caused embarrassment for the lawyers community, a woman lawyer was also subjected to violence by her male colleague. However, other lawyers intervened promptly and rescued her.

The incident was highlighted by some news channels, repeatedly showing the footage identifying the attacker.

The dispute intensified after the Ahsan Bhoon group refused to accept the results of the election held on Saturday last.

Woman lawyer subjected to violence by male colleague; both sides agree upon committee to determine procedure for poll’s forensic audit

The supporters of both factions confronted each other inside Kiyani Hall at the Lahore High Court, chanting slogans against each other. The situation spiraled into chaos, with some lawyers climbing onto tables and physical scuffles breaking out.

Following the unrest, both sides held a meeting and agreed to resolve the matter through a dialogue. The meeting was subsequently adjourned, and a committee was constituted through a consensus to address the electoral dispute.

The committee comprises Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) Vice-Chairman Pir Masood Chishti and PBC Member Shafqat Mahmood Chauhan. It is scheduled to hold its first meeting on Tuesday (today).

Both groups agreed that a forensic audit of the election results would be conducted and pledged to accept the committee’s findings.

They further decided that fresh elections would be held if any fault is found in the computer server containing the election data.

The committee will determine the procedure for conducting the forensic audit of the elections and select appropriate institution for the purpose.

Newly elected LHCBA Secretary Qasim Samra will assist the committee in its proceedings.

Meanwhile, newly elected President Babar Murtaza Khan and other office-bearers assumed charge of their respective offices and, accompanied by their supporters, reached the president’s office at the Lahore High Court Bar.

Published in Dawn, March 3rd, 2026