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| April 25, 2007 | Wednesday | Rabi-us-Sani 07, 1428 |
PHCBA warns federal minister to stop defaming lawyers’ profession
PESHAWAR, April 24: The Peshawar High Court Bar Association on Tuesday warned federal Minister for Political Affairs Amir Muqam to stop ‘defaming’ the lawyers’ profession by making Nazims and labourers wear black coats at pro-Musharraf rallies and conventions. Otherwise, the association warned, he would be expelled from the province.
“Enough is enough. Stop playing with the lawyers’ profession by making labourers and PML Nazims wear rented black coats for gratifying President Musharraf. This is the last warning to you (Amir Muqam) for committing this shameful act and if you continue doing so you will be expelled from the NWFP,” PHCBA president Abdul Latif Afridi said this in a general body meeting of the bar.
Mr Afridi told a joint meeting of the NWFP Bar Council, PHCBA and Peshawar District Bar that it had come to his notice that Muqam had twice carried out this shameful act and tried to damage lawyers’ image in the society.
He said that Peshawar-based lawyers told him over the phone from Islamabad that Muqam had brought Nazims and paid labourers from the NWFP who wore black coats and participated in the pro-Musharraf rally in Islamabad.
He said Muqam had also carried out this act earlier by giving rented black coats to party workers and paid labourers during the NWFP lawyers’ convention in the province, which PML-Q lawyers had also boycotted. The PHCBA also condemned Bara clashes between religious rivals through a resolution and held intelligence agencies responsible for the Bara situation in Khyber Agency.
He strongly condemned the killing of innocent school children and about 200 tribesmen ever since the clashes started among religious tribal groups.
Mr Afridi said that the political administration was involved in the Bara clashes as they had been completely silent over the issue ever since the clashes started several months ago.
He said various tribal jirgas, including the All Fata jirga, had tried to resolve the issue but Pakistani intelligence agencies had failed all attempts towards a reconciliation process among tribal religious groups.
He, however, through a resolution demanded of the federal government to stop this dangerous game in the agency and bring to an end the clashes immediately otherwise it would spread all over FATA, making it difficult for the government to control the clashes.
The PHCBA also condemned the government move regarding blocking Attock Bridge for all kinds of vehicles and stopping NWFP lawyers and politicians from participating at the protest rally held in front of the Supreme Court during the Chief Justice of Pakistan’s hearing. NWFP lawyers observed complete boycott of all court proceedings.
PHCBA senior lawyers, including Barrister Masood Kausar, Barrister Zahoorul Haq, Latif Afridi and Ali Zaman, burnt copies of the reference during the protest demonstration in front of the Peshawar High Court against suspension of Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry.
The PHCBA issued notices to two Peshawar lawyers, Atlas Khan and Akhtar Zaman, who attended their cases during the lawyers’ complete boycott. The Bar sought comments from the two lawyers within three days, failing which their licenses will be cancelled.
“We will take extreme steps against lawyers who acted against the larger interest of the lawyers’ community during their movement against President Musharraf,” he said.
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