ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) on Friday said it never extended any support to the government against Justice Qazi Faez Isa rather maintained its stance that the government should withdraw its so-called petition against him.

In a statement, SCBA Secretary Ahmed Shehzad Farooq Rana, who was also present at a meeting between the executive committee of the association and Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday, said the delegation had pointed out that there should be transparency in the appointment of judges and that the resolution of the bars should be implemented in this regard.

The statement said with reference to Thursday’s meeting with the prime minister, an incorrect impression had been created as if the association had gone to the premier to support the government.

“This is not so. In fact, the meeting was arranged by Federal Minister for Information Chaudhry Fawad Hussain who always contributed much for lawyers welfare and benefits,” the statement said.

The SCBA always works for the welfare of the lawyers, and only stands for the rule of law, it said, adding in fact the main agenda of the meeting was to highlight the fact that successive governments, for their own vested ends, had been delaying the process of finalising the implementation of the housing society for the Supreme Court lawyers.

The association did not ask for any financial aid from the government in this regard but pointed it out to the prime minister that more than Rs6 billion, for the payment of the land, was paid by the lawyers as far back as 2016 but instead of finalising the plans for the scheme the authorities were delaying the matter.

The SCBA said it was not at all satisfied with the reform agenda being carried out by the law ministry or the performance of the law minister and that the prime minister agreed with the contentions of SCBA. The presence of the minister in the meeting was in fact not informed to the delegation beforehand, the statement said.

The 23rd executive committee in particular and the SCBA in general firmly stand with its President Abdul Lateef Afridi, the statement said.

Published in Dawn, September 4th, 2021