LAHORE - Though all the major lawyers groups are flexing their muscles to clinch maximum seats in the forthcoming elections of the Punjab Bar Council (PbBC) scheduled for November 21, the small districts have shown grave concerns over conducting of elections as they are deprived of true representation in the Council due to faulty procedure and rules. A study of rules and procedures has revealed that entire Punjab has been divided into eight divisions under Legal Practitioners and Bar Councils Act 1973, and five to seven districts are grouped to form an electorate. Seats are allotted to each district on the basis of lawyers strength. 75 members of the council are elected for a term of five years. Each member of PbBC is entitled to cast as many numbers of votes as many seats are available in each electorate. For example, a lawyer hailing from Lahore is eligible to cast up to 16 votes to as many seats allocated to Lahore while he would also give votes to candidates vying for seats in Kasur, Okara and Sheikhupura districts. This system has established hegemony of lawyers who do practice at Lahore as they enjoy privileges while the accounts are not audited. It has been learnt that more than Rs 20 million are paid annually to members PBC as TA/DA. This over-spending goes unchecked. Interestingly, contest for membership takes place among the rival candidates from the same district. But under procedure it is not essential for a candidate to secure majority of votes from his own district to win seat. He can obtain votes from other districts to secure seat. It had happened in the past that lawyers practicing at Lahore were also members of the Bar association of their native districts as well. When elections come, most of them become candidates for the seats allotted to their native districts. In elections they get insignificant number of votes from their own native districts but they get more votes from other districts of the electorate and return as successful. On the other hand a candidate securing more votes from his district as compared to his rival and getting less number of votes from other districts loses the election and this deprives him of representing lawyers of his own district despite securing their votes in majority. The lawyers from small districts have suggested that in order to ensure true representation of lawyers from each district the large electorate comprising 5 to 7 districts be annulled and each district be made a separate electorate to choose members for PbBC In addition, one third of funds collected in form of license fee and license renewal fee should be distributed to respective bars, they said. They also demanded that tenure of membership should be reduced to three years to provide opportunity to new and more innovative lawyers. A system should be introduced for auditing accounts maintained by PBC and audit reports should be made public to ensure transparency in councils functioning. This year all the advocates in Punjab will elect their 75 representatives for next five years amongst 290 candidates.