KHANEWAL, Jan 11: Campaigning for Khanewal District Bar Association’s (DBA) annual election has entered a final round, as 24 candidates from three groups are in the run for eight slots and 21 for seven executive committee seats. The polls scheduled for Jan 12 will see a tough fight between the Liberal Friends Group (LFG), Liberals Superior Lawyers Forum (LSLF) and Justice Group (JG).

The LFG has fielded Rao Muhammad Jamil for the president office while LSLF’s Rana Muhammad Saeed and JG’s Mahr Abid Sial are in the run for the slot.

Mahr Nizamuddin Sial of the LFG, LSLF’s Wazir Iqbal Niazi and JG’s Raja Suhail Zafar will fight for general secretary office.

The bar elections have been a fight been the LFG and LSLF for decades, however, for the first time a third group, JG, has been formed to, what its founder says, to end the monopoly of the old two groups.

Sources told Dawn that LFG candidates are being supported by senior lawyers, including Punjab Bar Council member Javaid Hashmi and Peer Ahmad Shah Khagga while the LSLF is being backed by former bar president Chaudhry Ghulam Hussain and Chaudhry Abbas Ahmad. The JG has been formed by senior lawyer Malik Muhammad Asif Kamboh. All groups are campaigning with the slogan of ‘restoration of judiciary’.