News: In a significant political setback, the lawyers’ panel supported by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has faced a major defeat in the recent Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) elections. The loss was not just at the national level; the panel was surprisingly defeated across all polling stations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), a province widely considered PTI’s core stronghold.
Highlighting the gravity of the situation, sources indicate that party chairman Imran Khan, who is currently incarcerated, has allegedly not been fully informed about the scale of this defeat, particularly the complete loss within KP. This is notable given that many of PTI’s top leaders are themselves prominent lawyers.
Internal party differences are being cited as the primary reason for this failure. The panel, which was led by Senator Hamid Khan, could not gain traction even in its home base. The voting numbers from KP paint a clear picture of the defeat:
- Peshawar: The PTI-backed panel received 181 votes, while the rival Independent Group, supported by Federal Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar, secured 186 votes.
- Abbottabad: PTI’s candidate managed only 19 votes against the government-backed panel’s 55.
- Swat: The PTI candidate received 23 votes, while the opponent secured 27.
- Bannu: The loss was most severe here, with the PTI candidate getting just 5 votes compared to the Independent Group’s 25.
The clear winner in these elections was the Independent Group, led by Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar and senior lawyer Ahsan Bhoon. Their candidate for president, Haroon ur Rashid, won the election by a significant margin of over 400 votes. Furthermore, the group also secured a majority of the seats on the SCBA’s executive body, signaling a major shift within the legal community.
