ISLAMABAD: A senior member of the Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) from Balochistan Munir Ahmad Khan Kakar on Monday proposed convening of a meeting of the council to take stock of the federal government’s move to file a curative second review petition in the Justice Qazi Faez Isa judgment.

On May 26, the federal government filed a set of review petitions under the curative review petition against the April 26, 2021, order of the majority in the review petitions of Justice Qazi Faez Isa, a sitting judge of the Supreme Court who recently won a case in his favour that too on a review petition.

These petitions however were returned by the registrar office of the Supreme Court on the grounds that a second review petition cannot be filed to challenge a decision that was already announced on a review petition besides the language used by the government was scandalous.

In a letter to PBC Vice Chairman Khushdin Khan, Mr Kakar stated that the government’s move and act to file the curative review petition to challenge the review judgement was based on ulterior motives.

Mr Kakar regretted that the government’s attempt was apparently aimed at targeting and suppressing independence of the judiciary, adding hateful content was being used against lawyers on social media, including a propaganda against the judiciary, besides attacks against an independent media.

The member suggested convening of a PBC meeting to consider government’s intention to file the second review. He also called for the All Pakistan Lawyers Representative Convention as early as possible.

Meanwhile, Mr Khan and chairman of PBC’s Executive Committee Mohammad Faheem Wali also condemned the imposition of restrictions and attempts to curtail freedom of expression and digital rights of citizens by taking off air the famous talk-show of senior and renowned journalist, Hamid Mir.

They expressed their deep concerns and rejected government’s undemocratic move to ban a senior journalist by taking him off air, the same being based on ulterior motives, to suppress the voice of an independent journalist. It is a violation of his constitutional right as enshrined in Article 19 of the Constitution, they added. They urged the government to take immediate steps to withdraw the ban on Mr Mir. They also criticised such blatant attempts to intimidate those who work towards upholding the rule of law.

They said the legal fraternity will always stand with independent media against all sorts of visible, candid and hidden aggression and will never tolerate any intimidation to curb their independent voice.

Published in Dawn, June 1st, 2021