PESHAWAR: A total of 106 candidates are in the run for the elections on the 28 seats of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Bar Council across the province today (Saturday).

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Advocate General Shah Faisal Uthmankhel, who is chairman of the council by virtue of his post, is the returning officer for the polls.

The polls are held after every five years.

The province has been divided into six groups comprising different districts. There are seven seats for Peshawar and Khyber districts, for which 37 candidates are trying their luck. Similarly, four candidates are contesting a single seat jointly for Charsadda and Mohmand, whereas five are contesting for a single Nowshera seat.

106 candidates in fray for 28 seats

Eight and three candidates, respectively, are contesting two seats of Mardan and a single seat of Swabi. Against a single seat jointly for Kohat, Hangu, Kurram and Orakzai districts, three candidates are trying their luck, whereas two candidates are contesting a seat of Karak district.

In DI Khan, Tank and South Waziristan, there are two seats having seven candidates, whereas three candidates are contesting a single seat assigned to Bannu and North Waziristan.

Moreover, two candidates are vying for a single seat each assigned to Lakki Marwat and Haripur districts. Against two seats of Abbottabad, eight candidates are in the fray.

Five candidates are in the field for two seats jointly assigned to Mansehra, Battagram, Torghar, Upper Kohistan, Lower Kohistan and Kolai Palas. Similarly, there are four and three candidates, respectively, for a single seat each in Swat and Shangla.

Furthermore, four candidates are fighting it out against a single seat for Buner and Malakand, whereas three candidates are in the fray for a single seat assigned to Upper, Lower Dir and Bajaur districts. Three candidates are facing each other for a single seat for Upper and Lower Chitral districts.

Meanwhile, Attorney General for Pakistan Mansoor Usman Awan on Friday set aside an order of the KP advocate general/returning officer whereby the latter had appointed 17 additional and assistant advocates general to assist him at different polling stations for the bar council polls.

The order was made over an appeal filed by different lawyers’ forums and some candidates claiming the order undermined the integrity of the electoral process for the KPBC. They contended that throughout, it had been judicial officers and their staff who had been conducting the elections to the provincial bar council.

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The AG, who is chairman of Pakistan Bar Council, ruled that it had been a longstanding practice that the district judiciary and their staff conducted the elections at all polling stations and such practice was being followed across other provinces and Islamabad Capital territory for the elections to their respective bar councils.

TOUGH CONTEST LIKELY IN DERA: Three major groups are contesting the elections for the KPBC in the southern districts of the province.

The first group includes former Justice Ahmad Ali Khan (advocate Supreme Court), former bar council member Sardar Hashmat Nawaz Khan Sadozai, Shah Hussain Khan (advocate Supreme Court) from Bannu, and Zafar Iqbal (advocate Supreme Court) from Lakki Marwat.

The second major group represents a political alliance between Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s Insaf Lawyers Forum and Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam Fazl’s Jamiat Lawyers Forum. From this group, Zainul Abideen (advocate Supreme Court) and Adnan Ali Ghaznikhel (advocate Supreme Court) are contesting from Dera, Hafiz Mohammad Hanif (advocate Supreme Court) from Bannu, and Farooq Sabir (advocate High Court) from Lakki Marwat.

The third group includes Saleemullah Khan Ranazai (advocate Supreme Court), former president of High Court Bar Malik Hidayatullah Malana (advocate Supreme Court), and Nisar Khan Mandan (advocate High Court), former president of the District Bar, Bannu.

Prominent lawyer Saeed Akhtar Khan Marwat is also contesting from Dera.

The Ranazai group was previously allied with Sardar Hashmat Nawaz Sadozai, while Justice retired Ahmad Ali Khan contested against him in earlier elections. All four candidates from the Sadozai group have previously served as members of KPBC and hold considerable influence among lawyers across Dera, Tank, Bannu, and Lakki Marwat.

Meanwhile, the alliance between PTI and JUI-F lawyers’ wings — two parties often opposed on the political front — has made the contest even more intense. Both groups have run vigorous campaigns, and the split in votes could lead to close outcomes.

Strong contests are expected on all four seats representing the southern districts, including Dera, Tank, Bannu, and Lakki Marwat.

A total of 12 candidates are in the fray for these positions. There are 1,796 registered voters across the eight regions, including Dera, Bannu, Tank, Lakki Marwat, North and South Waziristan (Upper and Lower), and the tehsils of Paharpur and Proa. Each lawyer will cast four votes.

From Dera, seven candidates are contesting for two seats: Sardar Hashmat Nawaz Khan Sadozai, Justice retired Ahmad Ali Khan, Saleemullah Khan Ranazai, Malik Hidayatullah Malana, Zainul Abideen Afridi, Adnan Ali Ghaznikhel, and Akhtar Saeed Khan.

From Bannu, three candidates are in the field: Shah Hussain Khan, Mohammad Nisar Khan Mandan, and Hafiz Mohammad Hanif.

For Lakki seat, two candidates — Haji Zafar Iqbal and Mohammad Farooq Sabir — are contesting.

Published in Dawn, November 1st, 2025