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LAHORE, June 18: Three office-bearers of the Lahore High Court Bar Association on Saturday pronounced a revolt against president Fakharunnisa Khokhar, alleging that she hardly worked under the bar rules and had failed to take them into confidence in any matter so far. “We respect the verdict of the lawyers and do not want any undemocratic steps to be taken against the president (Ms Khokhar), yet we want her to go strictly in accordance with the bar rules,” LHCBA secretary Shehram Sarwar Chaudhry told a news conference here.
Flanked by bar vice-president Dr Akmal Saleemi and finance secretary Ms Firdaus Imtiaz, he said the president had hardly ever consulted the three office-bearers who secured more votes than Ms Khokhar and who also represented the community. She even did not consult them while formulating the bar’s executive and several other committees, they claimed.
Describing the constitution of the committees as illegal, he said the three office-bearers in mutual consultation and talks with senior members of the bar would reconstitute the bodies so as to make those legitimate and ensure representation from districts outside Lahore.
This is the first time in four months that the office-holders have admitted a split in the bar, though the LHCBA this year did not emerge as a consensus body and it still lacked cohesion.
Mr Chaudhry said the president had failed to go by even the bar traditions and work in unison with the other members of the team and senior lawyers, although the latter extended maximum possible cooperation to her.
He said if the president did not change her behaviour, they might take a “corrective step” to make the president behave democratically.
The bar secretary, who is also the forum’s chief executive officer, did not elaborate the measures but said a no-confidence motion, bearing signatures of about 200 lawyers, was already pending. He said he was not in favour of presenting the move to a general house meeting for vote.
Mr Chaudhry said the president’s behaviour had widened the gulf between the bar and the bench, which was harmful for the working of the judiciary.
KHOKHAR: Meanwhile, Ms Khokhar said in her reaction all the steps she had taken so far were directed towards the welfare of the lawyers and a strong judiciary.
She told reporters that she had constituted committees as a matter of her right and the secretary was, under the rules, obliged to work under the directions of the president. If the secretary tried to reconstitute committees, she said, it would amount to misconduct.
As for the no-trust motion, she said, it was moved by a lawyer who stood removed from a government job on corruption charges. She claimed that all her steps justified her representative character and no one could make the claim that she had backed out of the movement.
Ms Khokhar said she only wanted the implementation of the principle of seniority for the elevation of judges as laid down by the Supreme Court.—Correspondent
