ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Bar Council has expressed confidence that the judiciary will maintain its independence and impartiality as mandated by the Constitution.

The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf, Pakistan Awami Tehreek, PPP, Awami Muslim League, Jamaat-i-Islami and other political parties, after being impleaded as parties on a set of 11 identical petitions filed against the sit-ins being staged by the PTI and PAT on the Constitution Avenue, had earlier requested the apex court not to intervene in political issues.

A meeting of the executive committee of the highest supervisory body of lawyers, presided over by PBC Chairman Syed Qalbe Hassan, on Saturday expressed concern and disappointment over the current political situation in the country.

It called upon the government to accept demands of the protesting parties about alleged rigging in the 2013 general elections, investigation into the Lahore’s Model Town incident and bringing about changes in the political system.

The meeting said the impasse between the government and the protesting parties had posed serious challenges to political forces, especially those in power, warranting them to resolve it politically and through peaceful means, instead of resorting to use of force which would entail serious consequences not only endangering the democratic system but also national integrity.

It, however, praised the unanimous resolve of parliament to safeguard the Constitution and parliamentary democracy. “It is, therefore, cast upon all the political parties to sit together to resolve political disputes by themselves,” the committee said.

It condemned in strongest terms the Model Town massacre at the hands of Punjab police which resulted in loss of lives of 14 innocent people and injuries to hundreds.

“The deliberate attempts of the Punjab government not to make public the report of the one-man judicial tribunal on the Model Town incident, deserves strongest condemnation,” it said.

The PBC said the legal fraternity had always strived and struggled for supremacy of the Constitution, rule of law and independence of the judiciary and reiterated its resolve to continue to do so.

It said the lawyers’ community would “vehemently oppose any unconstitutional and undemocratic adventure”.

PBC Vice Chairman Mohammad Ramzan Chaudhry and members of the executive committee Mohammad Ahsan Bhoon, Mian Abbas Ahmed, Azam Nazeer Tarar, Akhtar Hussain, Mohammad Yaseen Azad and Fazl-i-Haq Abbasi attended the meeting.

Published in Dawn, September 7th, 2014