A sessions court on Monday issued notices on an application seeking registration of an FIR over alleged rigging in the annual elections of the Karachi Bar Association.
Advocate Syed Asadullah Shah Rashidi, candidate contesting for the seat of KBA president, moved an application under Section 22-A of the Criminal Procedure Code, naming eight members of the Executive Committee of the Sindh Bar Council (SBC) as proposed accused. He named DIG South, SSP (South), SSP Complaint Cell as well as City Court SHO as respondents.
The additional district and sessions judge (South) issued notices to the proposed accused and the SSP South Complaint Cell through the City Courts SHO to submit their response to the application by next hearing on May 15.
The applicant contended that on April 7, the Pakistan Bar Council appointed the executive committee of the SBC as the election commission to conduct the KBA elections on May 7 in “fair, impartial and transparent manner” strictly in accordance with law. He said that the KBA election had repeatedly been postponed since December 2025 on three different occasions, adding that eventually, on 7th May 2026, the polls were conducted under the supervision of the SBC executive committee pursuant to directions issued by the Appellate Tribunal of Pakistan Bar Council.
“However, the entire process relating to compliance of directives issued by Pakistan Bar Council, including appointment of Election Commissioner, Returning Officers, Presiding Officers, polling staff, preparation of valid voters’ lists, and necessary consultation/meetings with contesting candidates, remained highly defective, ineffective, non-transparent and deliberately delayed,” he claimed.
“Due to criminal negligence and mala fide intent of the Executive Committee and election management authorities, a planned uncertainty was created amongst the legal fraternity, and it had become the common talk of the town that elections would ultimately not be held on the notified date. Such conduct not only dealt a death blow to the democratic electoral process but also demoralized contesting candidates and their supporters, while causing unnecessary loss of precious time and expenditure of millions of rupees by lawyers,” he added.
Rashidi said that at around 10am, another contesting candidate Amir Nawaz Warraich informed him that certain persons at polling stations situated in District West Courts Buildings were found in “possession of forged/pre-ticked ballot papers and, with the assistance and connivance of election staff, had attempted to unlock ballot boxes for insertion of forged ballot papers therein.”
“Upon receiving such information, I immediately proceeded towards the place of occurrence where I personally witnessed certain individuals and lawyers holding forged ballot papers in their hands,” he maintained, adding that it created panic, anger, chaos and terror amongst thousands of lawyers present at City Courts Karachi. He said that he approached the SHO for action over alleged offences of “fraud, cheating, criminal breach of trust, forgery of ballot papers, preparation and use of fabricated ballot papers as genuine documents”, but he refused to perform his lawful duty.
The applicant requested the court to direct the SHO to record his statement and lodge an FIR and immediately seize, secure, and preserve all evidence, including alleged forged ballot papers as well as the USB containing video recordings of alleged rigging by the Election Commission staff, so as to prevent their loss, destruction, alteration, or tampering.
