Supreme Court Bar Association polling opens in Lahore and Peshawar, delayed in Karachi

Polling for the 2026-27 annual elections of the Supreme Court Bar Association of Pakistan is under way in Lahore and Peshawar, while voting in Karachi was delayed because polling agents had not arrived, election officials said on Thursday.

A total of 4,634 registered voters across the country are eligible to cast ballots in the annual elections. In Lahore and Peshawar, polling is scheduled to continue until 5pm, with a lunch break at 1pm. The Daily Times reported that polling was under way for the association's annual elections across Pakistan.

In Karachi, Presiding Officer Ishtiaq Memon said ballot materials would be opened in the presence of polling agents before voting could begin. Karachi's polling is scheduled at the New Bar Room of the Sindh High Court. Mr Memon, vice chairman of the Sindh Bar Council, and council member Ameer Bakhsh Metlo have been appointed presiding officers for the process, Minute Mirror reported.

Voting is being held for the offices of president, secretary, additional secretary and finance secretary.

For president, Syed Amjad Ali Shah of the Independent Group faces Sardar Amanullah Khan of the Professional Group. The secretary's post is contested by Arif Awan of the Independent Group and Mian Irfan Akram of the Professional Group. Qazi Shehryar Iqbal and Saira Khalid Rajput are competing for additional secretary, while Muhammad Tanveer Chaudhry and Rai Azhar Iqbal Kharl are contesting for finance secretary.

The association's annual elections are closely followed within the legal community because its elected office-bearers speak for lawyers and take up professional and institutional matters concerning the fraternity. The incoming body will represent the bar in its dealings with the courts and the government through the 2026-27 term.

At the time the reports were filed, the Karachi poll had not begun and polling in Lahore and Peshawar was still running.