BAHAWALPUR, March 26: Sardar Mahmood Iqbal Khakwani and Iqbal Sial were elected president and secretary-general respectively of the Lahore High Court Bar Association, Bahawalpur Bench, amid confusion here on Saturday. The confusion was created by a decision of the Punjab Bar Council executive committee chairman Tahir Mufti who stated that as presidential candidate Sardar Iqbal Khakwani was elected PBC member, he was not eligible to contest the election. This infuriated the supporters of Iqbal Khakwani. Some of the bar members opposed the polling owing to Mufti’s ruling and allegedly torn apart two ballot papers. As a result, election board chairman Akbar Ansari called the police for smooth polling process. Meanwhile, Pakistan Bar Council vice-chairman Ashraf Walha told the journalists on this occasion that Mr Tahir Mufti was not empowered to issue any such ruling because members of his executive committee had not so far been notified.

According to results, of 985, 678 votes were polled. Mahmood Iqbal Khakwani got 522 against his rival Malik Manzoor’s 101. Iqbal Sial was declared elected secretary-general by obtaining 439 votes gainst his rival Azhar Mahmood Peerzada’s 232.

Earlier 11 office-bearers, including three VPs and six members of the executive committee, were declared elected unopposed.

MULTAN According to APP, Muhammad Irfan Wyne has been elected unopposed as president of the LHC bar of the Multan Bench and Mian Jamalur Rahman secretary-general (SG) for 2005.

Mian Jamal will be the SG for first six months while Ghiasul Haq Sheikh will hold the office in the second half of the year.

According to a bar’s press release issued here on Saturday evening, the SVP slot went to Syed Muhammad Yousuf Akbar Naqvi, who also returned unopposed.

The post of the vice-president will be held during first six months by Chaudhry Muhammad Ali and subsequently by Malik Imran Aziz.

Abdur Rahman Laskani and Rao Muhammad Iqbal will hold the office of the joint secretary turn by turn for six months each.

The seven members of the executive body, elected unopposed, are Muhammad Ihsan Alvi, Muhammad Imran Shahzad Bhatti, Malik Sajjad Haider Maitla, Mirza Muhammad Kamal Ghauri, Abdus Sami Chaudhry, Muhammad Zahid Habib and Khawaja Munawwar Ahmed Siddiqui.