The Islamabad High Court Bar Association (IHCBA) has termed recent speech by PML-N Senator Nehal Hashmi an attack on the higher judiciary and Joint Investigation Team probing Sharif family’s offshore assets.
Addressing a press conference, IHCBA President Arif Chaudhary condemned the threats hurled at judges and said that civil society, lawyers and even judges too gave sacrifices for the free judiciary.
Talal Chaudhary, a leader of PML-N, had called judiciary a concubine of dictators, and now Nehal Hashmi’s tirade also represents the mindset of government.
Many believe that Nawaz Sharif alone has freed and restored judiciary, he said. He reiterated that the bar will defend the bench come what may. “We are not enemies of the government, but we want a free and fair investigation of assets he and his family own abroad,” he said.
It is pertinent to mention here that after the Lahore High Court Bar Association and Supreme Court Bar Association, the Islamabad High Court Bar Association has also demanded the resignation of the prime minister in the wake of Panama case verdict.
Due to Ramzan, the legal fraternity has decided to keep the protests limited to the wearing of black ribbon on Thursday, and holding protest camp every Thursday.
“The prime minister and his family were already facing much criticism, the threats made by Senator Nehal Hashmi had worsened the already bleak situation for the ruling party. We, the lawyers, who practice at Islamabad stand in complete unison with our elected leadership and soon after the Eid, full-fledged movement will be initiated against Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif that will continue till he resigns,” he said.
