LAHORE/ISLAMABAD Defeating the robust Professional Group, human rights activist and PPP-backed candidate Asma Jahangir and her panel on Wednesday won the elections of Supreme Court Bar Association. Asma clinched the presidential slot of the Bar defeating her rival Ahmad Awais of Professional Group, with a thin margin of 40 votes. She is the first-ever woman SCBA President. Lahore, the stronghold of the Professional Group, provided 10 votes lead to Asma over her. Liberal and leftist, Asma in her first comments after her election, said her group would not fan the current tension between the judiciary and the executive and would do what was permitted under the law and the Constitution. 'Gone are the people who fomented tension between the judiciary and the executive and they would not fan that tension as it is of no use, she said amidst jubilant supporters dancing. Asma was being primarily supported by Ali Ahmad Kurd, Tariq Mahmood and Munir A Malik, a splinter part of the broad-based and highly vocal group which under the leadership of Ch Aitzaz Ahsan had launched and sustained two years long struggle for the restoration of judges and independent judiciary and now stood apart differing with Hamid Khan on the question of SC insistence on implementation of its decisions, particularly on NRO, which Hamid Khan supported vehemently. As per unofficial results, Asma secured 834 votes, Ahmad Awais 794 votes and the third contestant, Akram Ch 127 votes. Khalid Zubair has been elected as Vice-President from Punjab while Qamar Zaman Qureshi Secretary of the Bar contesting in Asmas panel. From Balochistan, Jahanzeb Khan Jadoon and Muhammad Arif Khan from Khyber PK have been elected as Vice-President, also contesting on the side of Asma. Saleheen Mughal of Professional Group, led by Hamid Khan, has been elected as Additional Secretary. Asmas supporters led her to Lahore High Court Bar where their celebrations picked up momentum forcing Asma also to dance with them. Wearing advocate uniform (kit), Asma was visibly looking tired but her face was glowing with happiness as she received congratulations from her fans and voters. Talking to TheNation after election, she said her victory is of all those who are opposed to prejudices and narrow-mindedness. She thanked her voters saying despite a strong propaganda against her, they elected her as President telling the whole world that they have elected a woman their President defeating every negative propaganda. Responding to a question on her priorities, she said, they are here to unite the lawyers and to strengthen the bar and make the bars voice independent instead of making it voice of a group, any judge or any political party. Meanwhile, Ahmed Awais beat Asma in the SCBA elections by 10 votes at the polling station for Islamabad and Rawalpindi set up at the Supreme Court building. Awais secured 136 votes, whereas Asma got 124 votes. Another candidate for presidents slot, Ikram Ch secured 58 votes. The total registered votes in Islamabad and Rawalpindi were 312, whereas the votes polled were 318, as 68 voters came from other cities. Senior lawyers Sardar Latif Khan Khosa and Tariq Mehmood kept canvassing the lawyers to vote for Asma Jehangir. Former presidents of SCBA, Muneer A Malik, Ali Ahmed Kurd, Abid Hasan Minto and Qazi Jameel and two retired judges including Fakhruddin G Ebrahim and Tariq Mehmood have not only extended support for Asma, but have also written letters to vote for her. The SCBA has 2,200 members. About 1200 of them are in Lahore, 300 each in Rawalpindi/Islamabad and Karachi, 100 in Balochistan, 130 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 100 in Bahawalpur and 100 in Multan. The presidency of the association has become a key position in defending and advancing the gains of the lawyers movement. Following the principle of rotation, the SCBA presidency goes this year 2010-11 to a member ordinarily practising in Punjab. Bari Baloch from Quetta adds: Asma bagged 42 votes from Balochistan. Elections were held in Quetta under the chairmanship of Balochistan Bar Association President, Hadi Shakil Ahmed Advocate. The polling started at 9 am and continued till 5 pm without break. Out of 105 voters from Balochistan, 78 polled their votes while a voter from Karachi also cast his vote here. One vote was rejected while another was challenged. According to unofficial results, Asma bagged 42 votes while Awais got 29 votes. Akram Ch bagged only six votes.