LARKANA, March 5 The Lawyers' Action Committee has demanded holding elections of the District Bar (DAB) Association and Sindh High Court Bar Association (SHSBA)'s Larkana chapter.

Addressing a news conference here on Friday, Babu Sarfraz Jatoi, former general secretary of the SHCBA's Larkana chapter and action committee chief Rafiq Ahmed Abro alleged that Sindh Law Minister Ayaz Soomro was the only obstacle in holding the elections for the last three years.

Also the elections of Lawyers Housing Society were delayed and the two platforms were being exploited for personal gains, they alleged.

For eight years, accounts of the DBA were not audited, they said, and criticised the minister for “misusing his powers”.

They accused the minister of depositing Rs100 million of Prime Minister's grant for Lawyers Housing Society in his personal account.

Ayaz Soomro lived in Shaikh Zayed Colony but drew heavy amount as rent from government treasury, they alleged.

They asked how the law minister had become so rich overnight, alleging that he interfered into the affairs of other departments.

They said his actions were tarnishing the image of the Pakistan People's Party and demanded the party leadership to take action against him.

Asked why they did not go for legal remedy regarding elections of the bar bodies, Mr Jatoi and Mr Abro said that soon they would file a petition in court.

They alleged that the advocate-general of Sindh was a party and that was why he put the application regarding the elections in pending.

When contacted, Abdul Majid Bhurgri, additional advocate-general of Sindh and general secretary of the DBA, said “We are ready for holding the elections of the bar if Sindh Bar Council vacates the stay that it had granted in the wake of an application filed by Sarfraz Jatoi.”

Last year when election schedule was announced, Sarfraz Jatoi moved the court against the candidates and the SBC stayed the whole process, he said.

The moment the stay was vacated, the elections would be held, Mr Bhurgri said.

About the funds of Lawyers' Housing Society, he said that so far only the paper work had been completed and PC-I submitted with the government and if funds were released, they would directly be placed in the account of the public works department that would execute the work.

Ayaz Soomro had nothing to do with it, Mr Bhurgari said.

“Mr Jatoi and Mr Abro are unnecessarily blaming us for delaying the district bar's election,” he said.

He said president of the SHCBA's Larkana chapter Ahmed Ali Shaikh had been made judge of the high court and Abdul Hakeem Bijarani was acting president and he better knew when to hold elections.

This reporter tried to talk to Ayaz Soomro, but his cellphone number was continuously busy.