Lahore Bar Association (LBA) President Ch Tanvir Akhtar has said that demand for prime minister’s resignation by some lawyer bodies in the wake of Panama case verdict is unjustified.

Talking to the agency on Thursday, he said that majority of the apex court judges had ruled to form a joint investigation team (JIT) in the verdict, so it was premature to make such demands.

He said that demand for the resignation was not in the interest of the country in the present scenario and it would cause harm to smooth functioning of democracy.

He said that such demands were equal to contempt of the court verdict which formed the JIT to investigate the matter further.

He questioned that if the JIT exonerated Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif from all charges, how the harm caused by the prime minister’s resignation would be undone?

He said that the majority of lawyers did not support the demand for PM’s resignation and he should carry on his work.

To a question about attending Lahore High Court Bar Association’s (LHCBA) lawyers’ convention being held on May 20, he said that the decision would be made with the consultation of the LBA cabinet.

It may be mentioned that the Pakistan Bar Council (PBC), the top regulatory body of the lawyers, last week held a representative convention in Islamabad, which rejected the demand of some lawyers’ bodies to force the Prime Minister to step down after Supreme Court’s judgment in Panama Leaks case.