ISLAMABAD, Nov 10: The Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) has protested against the government's 'inordinate delay' in accepting its recommendations to make amendments to the Legal Practitioners and Bar Councils Act 1973.

The PBC passed a resolution after holding a meeting on November 9 in Islamabad to discuss the recently promulgated Legal Practitioners and Bar Councils (Amendment) Ordinance 2004.

Presided over by PBC Vice-Chairman Rasheed A. Razvi, the bar council protested that only two sections of the act regarding the election of the provincial bar councils were amended, that too not in accordance with its recommendations which were sent to the law ministry way back in July 2002. Whereas, the rest of the recommendations have not been incorporated in the ordinance, the resolution said.

While endorsing the revised election schedule published by the returning officers of the Punjab and Sindh bar councils, the PBC emphasized that by all means the election process of the provincial bar councils be concluded by December 31, 2004.

The meeting also approved the letter of the PBC which was addressed to the Balochistan Bar Council chairman, asking him to hold the election of the Balochistan Bar Council before December 31.

A number of members of the provincial bar councils in the three provinces were curtailed through the amendment. At present, there are 101 members in the Punjab Bar Council, 35 in Sindh, 32 in the NWFP and five in Balochistan.

Under the new amendment, the strength of members have been reduced to 75 in the Punjab Bar Council, 32 in Sindh, 28 in the NWFP and eight in Balochistan.

However, amendments would be applicable after fresh elections of these bar councils which are due next month in the Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan.