ISLAMABAD, Nov 4: President Pervez Musharraf on Thursday promulgated an ordinance to amend the Legal Practitioner and Bar Councils Act 1973.

The ordinance, called the Legal Practitioners and Bar Councils (Amendment) Ordinance, 2004, would come into force immediately. It amends sections 2, 5, 5A and 9 of the said Act.

The ordinance stated that the number of members to be elected to the provincial Bar would be as follows: Punjab Bar Council (75 seats), Sindh Bar Council (32), the NWFP Bar Council (28) and Balochistan Bar Council (eight seats).

It stated: "The district-wise allocation of seats ... for respective Provincial Bar Councils shall be in accordance with the Schedule; and no seat of a Provincial Bar Council shall be increased in future on the basis of increase in number of advocates of respective Provincial Bar Council and seat allocated to a new district will be drawn from the district out of which it is carved out."

"For the purpose of election of members of a Provincial Bar Council from a district or districts ... the advocates entered on the roll of group of districts as mentioned in the Schedule, shall constitute the electoral college".

"... In the said Act, at the end, the following Schedule shall be added, namely: Punjab Bar Council (with districts in Group I) Bahawal Nagar (one seat), Bahawalpur (three), Rahim Yar Khan (two); (Group II) Dera Ghazi Khan (one), Layah (one), Muzaffargarh (two), Rajanpur (one); (Group III) Khanewal (two), Lodharan (one), Multan (four), Pakpattan (one), Sahiwal (two), Vehari (two); (Group IV) Faisalabad (four), Jhang (two), Toba Tek Singh (one); (Group V) Attock (one), Chakwal (one), Islamabad (one), Jhelum (one), Rawalpindi (four); (Group VI) Bhakkar (one), Khushab (one), Mianwali (one), Sargodha (two); (Group VII) Gujranwala (three), Gujrat (two), Hafizabad (one), Mandi Bahauddin (one), Narowal (one), Sialkot (two); (Group VIII) Kasur (two), Lahore (16), Okara (two), Sheikhupura (two).

"Sindh Bar Council (Group I) Karachi (South) (six seats), Karachi (Central) (four), Karachi (East) (four), Karachi (West) (one), Malir (one); (Group II) Badin plus Thatta (one), Dadu (one), Hyderabad (three); (Group III) Sukkur (two), Ghotki (one), Khairpur (one), Naushero Feroz (one), Nawab Shah (one), (Group IV) Jaccobabad (one), Larkana (one), Shikarpur (one); (Group V) Mirpurkhas (one), Sanghar (one).

"NWFP Bar Council (Group I) Peshawar (seven), Charsadda (one), Nowshera (one); (Group II) Mardan (two), Swabi (one); (Group III) Kohat plus Hangu (one), Karak plus Bauda Daud Shah (one); (Group IV) Dera Ismail Khan plus Tank (two), Bannu (one), Lakki Marwat (one); (Group V) Haripur (one), Abbottabad (two), Mansehra plus Batagram (two) and Balakot plus Kohistan (not specified); (Group VI) Mingora (Swat) (one), Hangla (Alpuri) plus Matta (Swat) (one), Daggar (Baner) plus Dargai (one), Malakand at Batkhela (one), Timargara (Dir) (one), Chitral (one).

"Balochistan Bar Council (Group I) Quetta, Chaghi, Noshki, Pishin (four), Killa Abdullah (not specified); (Group II) Zhob, Loralai, Killa Saifullah (one), Ziarat, Musakhel plus Barkhan (not specified); (Group III) Kech, Panjgur, Gwadar plus Lasbela (one); (Group IV) Kalat, Khuzdar, Mastung plus Kharan (one), Awaran (not specified); (Group V) Sibi, Bolan, Nasirabad plus Jafarabad (one), Jhal Magsi, Kohlu plus Dera Bugti (not specified). -APP