ISLAMABAD/KARACHI: One of the country’s premier lawyers bodies, Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA), stands fragmented as a majority group has restrained the association’s president and secretary from taking unilateral decisions.

The group also disapproved the move to challenge the show-cause notices and de-seating of the SCBA secretary and additional secretary by the Pakistan Bar Council (PBC). Ten of the 17 members of the SCBA executive committee passed a resolution stating that they will not support any proceedings against the PBC, which was a regulator of all bar associations, including the SCBA.

Earlier on Friday, an online meeting by the group expressed no confidence in the association’s president Abid S. Zuberi. The move, which could have resulted in Mr Zuberi’s removal, was stayed by the Sindh High Court (SHC) on Saturday.

In its interim order, the SHC suspended the SCBA resolution to de-seat its president till May 18. Justice Nadeem Akhtar also suspended till the next hearing the PBC order to summon some SCBA officer-bearers for not complying with the resolution passed by its executive committee to remove Mr Zuberi.

The order was issued after Mr Zuberi and other SCBA members filed two suits against the resolution and the PBC order.

This was the latest development in the tussle that has pitted the PBC and the SCBA against each other after the former issued show-cause notices to and de-seated two SCBA secretary Muqtedir Akhtar Shabbir and additional secretary Malik Shakeelur Rehman.

In a tit-for-tat move, SCBA also suspended the membership of seven PBC executive committee members and even took the matter to the Supreme Court.

On Saturday, the plaintiffs’ lawyers argued before the SHC that the resolution following the May 4 meeting was politically motivated, against the rules and illegal.

They contended that the PBC had summoned the administration officer and other SCBA representatives on May 9 to explain their non-compliance with the resolution passed by 10 of the 17 SCBA executive committee members.

The PBC’s action was coram non-judice as it has no right to interfere in the affairs and management of the SCBA, the lawyers argued, adding that the order was arbitrary, discriminatory and against the principles of justice.

Following the arguments, the bench issued notices to the defendants to appear on May 18.

Published in Dawn, May 7th, 2023