ISLAMABAD (Rizwan Qazi) - Syed Wajid Ali Gilani, the candidate of the Ahsan Bhoon group, has been re-elected as President of the Islamabad High Court Bar Association (IHCBA) by a margin of nine votes in the annual bar elections.
Polling began in the morning and continued until 4:30 PM, with breaks for lunch and prayers. As this was the first election held in the newly constructed IHCBA building, the premises were decorated with balloons and flowers, while strict security arrangements were also put in place.
Out of 2,633 registered members, 1,605 lawyers cast their votes. During the counting process, a minor exchange of words occurred between supporters of the two presidential candidates, but senior lawyers present brought the situation under control.
According to the official notification issued by Chief Election Board Adil Aziz Qazi, Gilani secured 770 votes, defeating his rival Ashraf Gujjar, who received 761 votes.
Farzana Faisal Khan was elected Additional Secretary with 865 votes, while her opponent Palwasha Ayaz Khan got 644. Usman Nasir won the post of Joint Secretary with 939 votes against Wajahat Ghori’s 553. For Finance Secretary, Rida Batool secured 860 votes, defeating Syed Salahuddin who received 625.
Supporters of the winning candidates celebrated the results with slogans and festivities. Meanwhile, presidential candidate Chaudhry Muhammad Ashraf Gujjar raised objections to the outcome, with his supporters demanding a recount.
Earlier, Sabir Ahmed was elected Vice President unopposed, Barrister Qasim Nawaz Abbasi as Secretary, Farooq Iqbal Khan as Auditor, and executive members were also elected uncontested.