KARACHI: The Pakistan Bar Council has condemned the sit-ins held by the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf and Pakistan Awami Tehreek in Islamabad and warned that the legal fraternity and members of civil society will take to the streets if any ‘extra-constitutional’ action is taken against democracy.

Addressing a press conference here on Tuesday, Chairman of PBC’s executive committee Abrar Hasan said that political problems could be solved only within the parameters of the law of the land. The legal fraternity would play its role to preserve the Constitution and resist any deviation from it, he said.

He said that gathering a mob on the street would lead to “mobocracy” and, therefore, “the lawyers of Pakistan demand that no such demands be accepted which are raised by showing street power and by collecting a mob”.

He said that a political party aggrieved by any corrupt practice in the election could move the election tribunal and if tribunal’s decision was not satisfactory then an appeal could be filed before the Supreme Court.

He said PTI’s legislators had resigned from the assemblies, but there was no justification to demanding resignation of the prime minister because he was elected by the same assembly.

Mr Hasan said the agitating parties had been holding sit-ins for the past five days making an unconstitutional demand after the other.

He said the present scenario reminded him of Nov 3, 2007, and he was apprehensive of an extra-constitutional action.

The PBC leader said the legal fraternity would warn the “powers that be” to refrain from any extra-constitutional act.

PBC member Akhtar Hussain said that holding rallies and sit-ins was the right of every political party, but the demands being made by the protesting leaders were unconstitutional and illegal. He advised them to divert their energy to real issues such as land reforms as 60 to 65 per cent people lived in rural areas.

Former president of the Supreme Court Bar Association Yasin Azad said all institutions should remain within their legal and constitutional limits and keep the democratic set-up intact for prosperity of the country.

The legal fraternity leaders appealed to PTI Chairman Imran Khan to withdraw his appeal of civil disobedience in the interest of the country.

They warned the government against reaching any extra-constitutional deal with the agitating parties.

They announced that the bars across the country would hold meetings to adopt resolutions against any extra-constitutional act.

Former president of the Sindh High Court Bar Association Mustafa Lakhani, Wahab Baloch and Arshad Jadoon were present on the occasion.

Published in Dawn, August 20th, 2014