KARACHI - The dispute between the groups of Sindh Bar Council (SBC) has been settled down after the secret balloting of members, in a meeting called by Yousuf Laghari, Advocate General Sindh, as chairman of SBC. The previously elected body that has been elected on January 30, remain intact as Mehmood-ul-Hassan would be the vice chairman SBC. The law minister Ayaz Soomro said that the decision would be acceptable for all the members of SBC. A source privy to the matter disclosed that exchange of hot words between the groups of SBC members had been going on as a group endorsed the previously elected vice chairman while another group sought to make last meeting invalid. The dispute was continue when the Law Minister and the Advocate General Sindh were suggested secret balloting to settle the dispute that either the previous election was right or not. On the suggestion of the Law Minister and Advocate General both the groups showed their consensus and secret balloting took place. The elected body got victory with only two votes after the secret balloting. As many as 40 out of 41 members took part in the meeting and gave their opinions, in which 21 members voted in favour of previously elected body, while 19 votes were cast against the validation of the previous meeting, while one vote was missed. Both the groups have agreed over the result. Talking to mediamen following the meeting, Law Minister Ayaz Soomro said that he took part in SBC meeting as a member of SBC not as the minister. He said that the present government was the genuine democratic government and it believes in democracy. "The lawyers should take more advantage from the government." Soomro said that the government always respects the lawyers' opinions, and such decision of the lawyers to validate the previous election would not be challenged. On the other side, Vice Chairman Mehmood-ul-Hassan told The Nation that had already been elected for the said post by the majority of the members on January 30. He termed that the secret opining of suggestion was the conspiracy of the government as such voting had never been done in the past. "The members who voted to validate the previous election have proved that the government could not get success by the conspiracy." He claimed that some lawyers, who were in favour to dismantle the previous election, were part of the government's conspiracy, who wanted to divide the lawyers' fraternity to sabotage the ongoing lawyers' movement. He said that the government machinery was failed to do so. He said that they had already termed the Sunday's meeting as illegal, as the chairman had not such powers to reschedule the meeting. Meanwhile, the sources revealed that in Saturday evening, Law Minister Ayaz Soomro called a meeting of the SBC members at a five-star hotel for seeking their support, in which the members agreed to support Abdullah Chandio as vice chairman against Mehmood-ul-Hassan, by supporting to invalidate the previous meeting and election. The office bearers, who have been elected as chairmen and heads of SBC committees include Ali Mohammad Dahri, chairman Executive Committee; Abdul Razzaq Mahar, chairman Disciplinary Committee; Abdul Sattar Qazi, chairman Benevolent Fund Committee; Abdul Hakeem Bijarani, Law Reform Committee; Ghulam Mohammad Abbasi, Law General Committee; Aaqil Khan Lodhi, Legal Aid and Human Rights Committee; Sher Mohammad Wasan, Legal Education Committee; Abdul Aziz Sheikh, Library Committee; Abbas Ali advocate, Roll Committee; Ghulam Nabi Sheikh, Rules Committee; Mohammad Iqbal Qaisar, Anti-corruption Committee; Abdul Haleem Siddiqui, Construction Committee; and Khawaja Mansoor, Inter-provincial Committee.