KARACHI, Nov 20: Karachi Bar Association President Iftikhar Javed Qazi alleged on Tuesday that political parties were working on their own political agendas instead of struggling for the independence of the judiciary.
He was addressing the general body meeting of the KBA held at Shuhda-i-Punjab Hall of the City Courts after his release along with other senior lawyers from police custody late on Monday night.
Mr Qazi urged all political parties to forge unity in their ranks for the independence of the judiciary and the rule of law against the state of emergency in the country. He condemned the curbs on the press and demanded the withdrawal of all restrictions on the media.
He said the KBA’s annual election, scheduled for Dec 15, would be held on time.
In reply to a question, he said: “We did not submit any undertaking for our release from police custody.”
KBA General Secretary Naeem Qureshi also addressed the meeting.
Meanwhile, lawyers observed a complete boycott of legal proceedings at the City Courts and Malir District Courts on Tuesday against the provisional constitution order, the imposition of emergency rule, police action against lawyers, the ousting of chief justices and other judges of the high courts and the Supreme Court of Pakistan.
Around 420 under-trial prisoners were brought from different prisons to the City Courts, but their cases could not be heard due to the lawyers’ boycott.
SHCBA’s demand
The Sindh High Court Bar Association has demanded the restoration of the pre-PCO constitutional position before considering calling off its protest.
A general body meeting resolved that emergency must be lifted and the provisional constitution order withdrawn and the judges and chief justices who declined or were not invited to take a new oath under the PCO should be reinstated to restore the status quo ante. All detained lawyers and journalists be freed and media curbs be quashed, it resolved.
The members earlier complimented and garlanded their colleagues released from detention. They included SHCBA President Abrar Hasan, Pakistan Bar Council members Abul Inam, Rasheed A. Razvi and Yasin Khan Azad and former SHCBA presidents Abdul Hafeez Lakho and Akhtar Hussain.
The lawyers were released late Monday night on the directive of caretaker chief minister A.Q. Halepota, himself a practising lawyer.
Sindh Bar Council member and the Pakistan Women Lawyers Association chairperson, Noor Naz Agha, who was under house arrest, was released on Tuesday afternoon.
The general body decided to extend the date for clearance of dues by the association members till Nov 26 to enable the defaulters to cast their votes in the SHCBA polls. The final list of candidates would be put up by election commissioner Akhter Ali Mahmud on Nov 22 and the ballots would be cast on Dec 1. Advocates Rasheed Razvi and Ismet Mehdi are contesting the office of president while SHCA Secretary Muninur Rehman is seeking re-election to the same office.
