PESHAWAR, Mar 30 (APP): The NWFP designated Information Minister Sardar Hussain Babak on Sunday congratulated Abdul Latif Afridi on reelection as President of the Peshawar High Court Bar Association (PHCBA).

Talking to APP, Sardar Hussain Babak passed on his good wishes to the four parties alliance for  achieving victory  in the elections of the PHCBA held on Saturday. He said that it was a great victory of his party and alliance parties and lawyers of the province. “Latif Lala is great leader of the ANP and intellectual of the province and he can play important role for the supremacy of constitution,” he added.

The designate Minister said that the lawyers of NWFP in the leadership of Latif Afridi had fully participated in the countrywide lawyer movement for the restoration of  judges and independence of judiciary.   Sardar Hussain hoped that newly elected cabinet would fight and struggle for the supremacy of constitution and independence of judiciary. He hoped that electing for the second tenure, Latif Afridi and his team would continue their struggle for independence of judiciary and freedom of expression in society.

Meanwhile, Latif Afridi has been re-elected as the president of the PHCBA on Saturday. According to election results, he secured 482 votes against his rival candidate Syed Attique Shah who got 440 votes. Malgare Wakelan, People Lawyers, MMA and Insaf Lawyers forums jointly contested the election and won the election of BHCBA on all the seats beating the opponent candidates who contested the election in independent capacities.

Fida Gul Advocate won the slot of he Vice President and secured 661 votes while Muhammad Esa Khan was elected as Secretary General by scoring 526 votes Jawed Ali Asgar was  elected as Joint-Secretary by securing 435 votes.  Saifur Rehman Khattak was elected as Secretary Finance by securing 367 votes, Arbab Shehaashah got 472 and was elected as Secretary Library.

Meanwhile, Haji Shehazad Gul Shehzad and Mohammad Shabir were elected as executive member from Peshawar. Mujahid Farooq and Abdul Qayyum have already been  elected unopposed  as Executive Member form Malakand and Kohat regions respectively. More then 900 members of the association cast their votes out of total 1159 registered votes at four polling stations set up in Peshawar, Mardan, Kohat and Swat.  An election commission headed by Abdul Qadir Khattak supervised the elections.

Election had started at 8 a.m. and continued till 3 p.m. in the said polling stations. Prominent political figures including designated senior minister NWFP assembly, Bashir Ahmad Bilour, elected deputy speaker, Kush Dil Khan and designated law minister Barrister Abdullah cast their votes.

It may be recalled that in the last year PHCBA elections, Malgari Wakilan Forum of Awami National Party defeated the four-party alliance, which was supported by MMA, Pakistan Peoples Party and both factions of Muslim League. Latif Afridi got 502 votes against his rival candidate Abdul Satar Khan who got 379 votes in 2007 elections.