- PBC threatens government with country-wide protest in case of non-compliance
During Ramzan, the much-touted lawyers’ moment demanding Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s resignation is slowly brewing in various bars across the country, Pakistan Today has learnt.
Due to scorching heat coupled with the month of fasting, both the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) and Lahore High Court Bar Association, two representative bodies of lawyers spearheading the anti-PM movement, have tacitly decided to avoid full on confrontation and mass-scale movement during Ramzan.
“I ask that how can you expect the lawyer community to launch a full-scale movement where they’ll be confronted by batons and arrests during this month and in this heat, when even major political parties are reluctant to organise a simple protest rally,” said Lahore High Court Bar Association (LHCBA) President Advocate Chaudhary Zulfiqar Ali, when contacted.
When asked whether different bars are united under the banner of SCBA and LHCBA, he said that certain factions who are in majority in the Pakistan Bar Council and hail from a particular group are busy to create fissures among lawyer fraternity. “We have different bars, including Larkana, Rawalpindi and Quetta, onboard for protests and the entire country will see that soon after the Eid, we’ll launch a campaign that will rival the one for restoration of judiciary,” he said.
However, the fissures have surfaced inside SCBA itself when its Executive Committee suspended Secretary General Aftab Bajwa for overstepping his powers. SCBA President Advocate Rashid A Rizvi blamed the Pakistan Bar Council for playing a divisive role.
Interestingly, all bars and associations from SCBA down to districts bars are unanimous that the prime minister in wake of Panamagate verdict has lost the moral high ground to govern and should voluntarily step down. However, many among the legal fraternity differ that since the Supreme Court ordered a Joint Investigation Team to probe the matter further thus it would be against the apex court’s order to launch a protest movement.
The divide has further deepened when the Lahore High Court Bar Association, on May 20, held a convention to develop consensus among various bars and associations. Reportedly, the convention was attacked and ransacked by lawyers belonging to the PML-N who allegedly created a ruckus on behest of the attorney general, advocate general and Punjab Governor Rafiq Rajawana. Later on, LHCBA suspended Rajawana’s membership and banned his entry to the bar.
On Saturday, Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) Vice Chairman Advocate Ahsan Bhoon and Executive Committee Chairman Advocate Hafeez-ur-Rehman have condemned the ‘politically-motivated’ and ‘calculated statement’ of Nehal Hashmi threatening Judiciary and JIT.
The PBC lamented that the object was very clear as it was aimed to pressurise JIT and judges of the Supreme Court.
The press release also took exception to press statement of the government spokesperson terming them ‘derogatory’ and ‘contemptuous’. Also, it warned the government to desist from its moves of creating hindrances against the constitutional and judicial functioning of the Supreme Court regarding Panama leaks case.
The PBC has warned that failure of the government to comply with the verdict will push lawyers to ‘launch a countrywide movement against the government’.
