PML-N's Tariq Afridi Wins Peshawar High Court Bar Election

PML-N's Tariq Afridi Wins Peshawar High Court Bar Election
Tariq Afridi – the president of the PML-N lawyers' forum – on Saturday beat PTI lawyer forum's Taif Khan to become the president of the Peshawar High Court Bar Association.

As per the results released by the association today, Afridi bagged 985 votes against Khan's 740, while candidate Rehmanullah came third with 570 votes.

Afridi got the highest votes from Peshawar (535), followed by Kohat (98), Mardan (97), Nowshera and Swabi (44), Charsadda (43), Takhtbhai (28), and Lahore (8).

His opponent, Khan, too, received the highest votes from Peshawar (378), and the lowest from Lahore (16).

The general secretary slot was secured by Babar Khan Yousafzai, who bagged 726 votes in total.

The development comes at a time when the political temperature is heightened owing to the Punjab elections case.

A day earlier, Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial said that the top court would not “sit idle” with regard to its decision for election on May 14 if the talks failed.

He observed that negotiations would only take place “if both the parties were interested”, and expressed displeasure over the two sides’ “lack of interest” for a substantial dialogue.

The top judge reminded the court that the apex court had given time to the two political parties to see if they agree on a date for polls.

While reiterating that the court will uphold the Constitution, CJ Bandial adjourned the proceeding, saying an appropriate order will be issued later.

The hearing was seen as a way to allow the parties more time to reach consensus and take the matters of the election forward, and resolve the issue once and for all.

According to the Election Commission, it does not have the funds or the security to conduct elections in Punjab on May 14.

The electoral authority's final report came in view of the apex court's judgment that the polls must take place as scheduled.

The ECP has submitted three reports to SC in response to its orders. The government has to provide Rs21 billion to the Commission to conduct elections.