KARACHI, June 11: The legal fraternity on Monday criticised the government for its reported plan to prepare another reference against Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry and termed it the government’s desperate attempt to malign the chief justice “after having failed to substantiate its allegations against the CJ”.
Lawyers said by publicising such reports the government was trying to cover up its shortcomings in the federal budget, adding that the second (proposed) reference was also aimed at putting pressure on the judges of the higher courts.
A general body meeting of the Sindh High Court Bar Association (SHCBA) was held in the bar room. Those who spoke at the meeting included: President Abrar Hasan, Joint Secretary Ahmed Nafees Osmani, Justice (retd) Shafi Mohammadi, Ahmed Nafees Osmani and Shoa Nadeem.
The speakers said the second reference would be a clear indication that the allegations in the first one were baseless and could not be proved and that was why the government felt the need to back it up with another reference. They, however, expressed their satisfaction over the withdrawal of the Pemra ordinance.
Members of the Karachi Bar Association (KBA) also held a general body meeting in the Shuhda-i-Punjab Hall. Sindh Bar Council Member Salahuddin Khan Gandapur, KBA President Iftikhar Javaid Qazi, General Secretary Naeem Qureshi, and Raja Mohammad Anwar spoke on the occasion.
The lawyers said the government did not want the case of the chief justice to be decided on the basis of merit, adding that if it were sincere, it would have taken such action against the three members of the Supreme Judicial Council who, they said, were already facing corruption charges.
They said the military establishment had always tried to remain in power and turned all costly lands into its cantonments while poor people had no shelter and scant food.
They also opposed the use of troops in the tribal areas of the NWFP and Balochistan and said that this policy, if not changed at this stage, could lead to the country’s disintegration.
On the occasion, three resolutions were adopted unanimously demanding that the government immediately release Shah Zain Bugti, grandson of the late Baloch leader Akbar Bugti, and former chief minister of Balochistan Sardar Akhtar Mengal.
Through another resolution, they demanded protection to the working journalists and stressed the need for their comprehensive insurance. Through the third resolution, the KBA criticised the behaviour of the federal minister for law, Wasi Zafar.
They also rejected the annual budget and said the rulers were not prepared to liberalise the judiciary else they would have allocated separate funds for it in the budget. They said hundreds of billions of rupees were allocated for non-developmental projects and for the military while education, health and other public-interest sectors were not given due attention.
The lawyers stayed away from courts proceedings from 10.30am and 11.30am in protest over the presidential reference against the CJ. SHCBA members Hamid Raza and Liaquat Hussain Khan, City Courts lawyers Sanaullah Qamar, Sarwar Mohammad Khan, Asghar Ali Shah and M.A. Jalil, and two lawyers Hafeez Baloch and Imdad Solangi in Malir District Courts observed a token hunger strike.
Meanwhile, Sindh Bar Council Human’s Rights Committee members at a meeting appreciated the lawyers for their sustained movement for the independence of the judiciary and demanded that the government withdraw its reference against the CJ.
The meeting was attended by SBC Vice Chairman Mohammad Amin Lakhani, Chairman of the Executive Committee Fazl Qadir Memon, Karachi Bar Association President Iftikhar Javaid Qazi, and lawyers from other districts, including Shafi Muhammad Chandio from Khairpur, Sher Muhammad Wassan from Mirpurkhas, and G.M. Abbas from Naushehro Feroz.They said it was the second longest movement in the history of the country after the Pakistan Movement. They said during the three-month long movement many fake cases were registered against lawyers.
They recalled the tragic incidents of May 12, terming it the most shameful incident that involved the government. They expressed their annoyance over the fact that the government had failed to arrest the killers of the innocent people on May 12.
They hailed the efforts of the civil society for giving the moral support to the lawyers in their struggle for the judiciary’s independence.
