PBC elections: Two Bar members move LHC against proposed amendment

LAHORE: Two Bar members have approached the Lahore High Court (LHC) against a proposed amendment regarding the eligibility criteria for candidates contesting the elections of Punjab Bar Council (PBC).

The change includes a candidate’s eligibility requirement of enrollment as a high court advocate from five to ten years besides the condition of having handled at least 30 individual cases.

The petitioners candidates for the PBC elections Fahad Akram Bhatti and Imran Fazal contended that the bar council elections are scheduled to be held in November this year and candidates have already been running their election campaigns.

They said that the government is introducing new eligibility requirements for contesting candidates, which is not appropriate at this stage.

The petitioner asked the court to restrain the implementation of the new eligibility criteria for candidates in the upcoming bar council elections.

Lahore High Court Bar Association (LHCBA) President Malik Asif Nissoana also rejected the amendments approved to the Legal Practitioners and Bar Council Election Rules.

In a statement, he said the PBC chairman already issued a code of conduct for the upcoming elections.

Therefore, he said, no amendments should be made to the rules.

He demanded that any amendments to the law should be postponed until after the bar council’s elections.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2025