The prime job of legal community is to provide legal assistance to citizens in criminal and civil matters. The legal profession used to be a noble profession and the lawyers, being part of the judicial system, were held in high esteem. To the contrary, this profession has fallen from grace due to unwarranted attitude of lawyers at different times.
In 1997, an international jurist conference was held at PC Bhurban, Murree, in which senior most lawyers and constitutional experts from Pakistan and abroad participated. The occasion was also graced by honourable judges. The participants, getting tired of delivering and listening to monotonous and complicated legal complexities, engaged in using taunting remarks against each other’s behaviour by using poetry as means of expression. In the meanwhile, on the request of a senior most advocate, Sheikh Akram, a song “mein chor hoon, kaam hai mera chori” was sung by lawyers. And other group, with highly overcharged emotions performed “bhangra” while singing the song “Asaan te jana ay billo dey ghar” (Daily Jang 9-3-97).
In 2007, the legal fraternity along with media and civil society fought and won a battle with regard to restoration of deposed judges of the superior judiciary. During the movement, the lawyers raised the slogans “Iftikhar, lakhon tarey jan nisar”. But after the restoration of SC judges, the “jan nisars” broke law, thrashed their colleagues who disagreed with them, and quarrelled with lower court judges. They even locked some of the judges in courtrooms in different cities, wrangled with police and media men without any let or hindrance from any quarter. They have not dispelled the impression that the judges were restored due to their effort only and that movement was not for restoration of certain set of judges but it was for independence of judiciary and rule of law – a commodity in short supply. The result is that the noble profession has not only lost its dignity, but also has tarnished the image of the judiciary. Surprisingly, now the same lawyers boycott courts against the judicial policy asking the lower courts to dispose of old cases by 30-12-12.
I wish that the Pakistan Bar Council, Supreme Court Bar Association, and other bar associations in the country try to educate young lawyers to devote their time and energy to come fully prepared before the courts and provide honest legal aid to their clients in order to bring the lost dignity to this noble profession.
