LARKANA, March 19: Despite their parties being coalition partners in the future government the lawyers belonging to Pakistan People’s Party and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz are running against each other in the annual elections of the Larkana chapter of the High Court Bar Association to be held on March 24.

Total number of lawyers enrolled with the HCBA stood at 224, said Inayat Morio, a PPP-backed candidate contesting for the office of general secretary for the second term.

He had joined PPP on Dec 23 during a public meeting addressed by Ms Benazir Bhutto at the Peoples’ Stadium in Larkana. He has defeated a PPP candidate in the previous polls.

Three advocates Mohammed Bachal Tunio (PPP), Ahmed Ali Shaikh (Independent) and Sarfraz Jatoi (PML-N) are in the run for the office of president.Mr Jatoi had reportedly contacted Mr Tunio to persuade him to withdraw his candidature but he had plainly refused, the sources said. Abdul Hakeem Bijarani and Abdul Raheed Shah has already returned unopposed for the offices of vice-president and joint secretary.

Inayat Morio would face Shahid Hussain Qureshi of PML-N while Shamsuddain Abbasi, district amir of Jamaat-i-Islami had filed papers against Mehar Ali Abro of PPP for the office of treasurer.

Seven members had already returned unopposed for the managing committee, Mr Morio said.