LAHORE, Nov 2: The Supreme Court Bar Association election controversy further worsened on Thursday when Munir A Malik, the new president, called the first meeting of the executive committee at the SCBA head office in Islamabad on Nov 4.

The date and timing of the SCBA first meeting has come in conflict with the programme of former president Malik Muhammad Qayyum who had announced that he would hold a meeting to recount the ballot papers the same day.

Munir Malik told Dawn that the executive meeting would discuss an agenda which the first meeting of a newly-elected body usually considered. He said the new SCBA leadership had taken ground and if the date and timing of the meeting clashed with the meeting of an “irrelevant body”, the latter should desist from obstructing the lawful moot.

Malik Qayyum said he would start recounting according to the schedule already announced. He said he was still the SCBA president and had the right to hold the meeting at the given venue.

Qayyum: Justice Malik Mohammad Qayyum (retired) has said that he will recount all the ballot papers and the rejected votes before notifying the result of the Supreme Court Bar Association elections which were concluded on Oct 31.

Mr Qayyum, former judge of the Lahore High Court, said here on Thursday that the SCBA rules permitted him to recount votes as a tradition to which all the former presidents adhered to as returning officers.

“I am still the SCBA president and competent to announce the results and issue a notification after official count of the votes,” he added.

He said SCBA former president Qazi Jamil announced the official results and notified them on Nov 8, 2005, as was required under the rules.

Malik Qayyum said he would recount votes at the SCBA head office at Islamabad on Nov 4 and notify results accordingly.