ISLAMABAD: The annual elections of the Islamabad Bar Association (IBA) for the year 2026 are being held today, with polling continuing from morning until evening at the judicial complex.
More than 4,200 lawyers are expected to exercise their right to vote for six key office-bearer positions.
The elections are being held for the posts of president, vice president, secretary, joint secretary, additional secretary and library secretary. Following the withdrawal of Hafiz Malik Mazhar Javed, the presidential contest has become a four-way race. Chaudhry Naeem Ali Gujar, Raja Yasir Shakeel, Mian Arshad Javed and Shabana Rafique are now in the running for the top slot.
For the position of Vice President, Irum Rashid and Bilqyas Mahmood Khattak are contesting.
The secretary’s post is being contested between Raja Khawar Dhaniyal and Muhammad Sohail Khurshid Gujar. Sanaullah Bugti and Imran Khan Kakar are competing for the office of Joint Secretary, while Asma Bashir Bangash and Fariha Jafar Bajwa are contesting for additional secretary.
A one-on-one contest is underway for the post of library secretary between Darnajaf and Syeda Nazish Naqvi.
Security arrangements at the judicial complex have been tightened in view of the elections. Additional security personnel have been deployed to prevent any untoward incident, while strict checking is being carried out at entry points. The entry of unrelated persons into the judicial complex has been banned to ensure a smooth polling process.
Meanwhile, a projection meeting was held a day earlier in connection with the Bar Association elections, which was attended by a large number of lawyers. In light of the meeting, the bar association requested the judges not to pass any reverse or controversial orders during the proceedings.
As a result, hearings in the majority of cases scheduled for yesterday were adjourned without substantive action.
Among them was the controversial tweet case against Imaan Mazari and Hadi Ali Chatha. The hearing of the case was adjourned by Additional District and Sessions Judge Muhammad Afzal Majoka without any progress.
Both Iman Mazari and Hadi Ali Chatha appeared before the court; however, due to the projection meeting, the court deferred the proceedings and adjourned the hearing until January 12.
The polling results are expected later in the evening after the completion of voting and counting.
Published in Dawn, January 10th, 2026