PESHAWAR, March 11: Polling for the annual elections of the Peshawar High Court Bar Association is being held today (Saturday) in which around 1,741 voters will exercise their right of franchise in 11 polling stations set up in different districts. Polling would start at 8am and would continue till 3pm.

For the coveted post of president two candidates are in the run including Khawaja Mohammad Khan Gara and Fida Gul.

Mr Gara, a former president of the association, has been enjoying support of the lawyers affiliated with Pakistan People's Party and Awami National Party. Similarly, Mr Gul has thrice served as president of Peshawar district bar association and is affiliated with Jamaat-i-Islami. He is also supported by lawyers belonging to Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-F.

According to the final list of candidates released by the election commissioner Abdul Qadir Khattak, advocates Shahid Qayyum Khattak and Zar Mohammad Afridi are fighting for the post of vice president.

Three candidates including the present incumbent Ameenur Rehman Yusufzai, Mohammad Ijaz Khan and Arbab Saiful Kamal are contesting for the slot of secretary general and three candidates -- Jalaluddin, Khizar Hayat Khazana and Masood Iqbal Khattak are vying for the post of joint secretary.

Khwaja Aurangzeb Alamgir, Akber Kamal Khan and Mohammad Ijaz are in the run for the post of library secretary.

Fayyaz Khan Khalil has already been elected unopposed as treasurer. Similarly, for the posts of executive members, Malik Mohammad Ajmal Khan, Malik Imdad Azam and Gul Hussain have been elected unopposed from Malakand, Kohat and Mardan, respectively.

For the two posts of executive members from Peshawar, four candidates are contesting including Amjid Noor, Bilal Andarabi, Sheraz Samad Khan and Wajid Hussain.