ISLAMBAD: Amending the Rule 175-H of Pakistan Legal Practitioners and Bar Councils Rules, 1976, the Pakistan Bar Council on Thursday reduced the length of practice for Advocate of High court for contesting election for offices of President, Vice President and Secretary of the High Court Bar Associations in the country.

According to sources, the contesting election for office of the President of a High Court, practice for advocate of the High Court has been reduced from 15 to 10 years, for vice president from 12 to 8 years and for Secretary from 10 to 7 years.

Chairing the meeting, Mohammad Raheel Kamran Sheikh, Chairman Rules Committee, proposed that for the purpose of making the Pakistan Bar Council a more representative body of lawyers, there should be direct elections of its members in future instead of the indirect election as presently in vogue.

He further proposed that the Electoral College for such direct election should comprise of all advocates enrolled by the Pakistan Bar Council (Advocates of the Supreme Court).

It was also proposed that for ensuring representation of female lawyers in the Bar Council, out of 11 seats of membership of Pakistan Bar Council allocated to the province of Punjab, one should be reserved for women and likewise out of six seats allocated for Sindh, one seat may be reserved for women.

It was also proposed that Council may also consider reserving one seat for female membership of the PBC out of four seats of the KPK.

After considering the proposal and after deliberations at full length, it was recommended that suitable amendments be brought about in the Legal Practitioners and Bar Councils Act, 1973 so as to provide for the direct election of members of the Pakistan Bar Council, the Electoral College for which should comprise of all enrolled advocates of the Supreme Court.