PESHAWAR: Legal fraternity on Monday launched a nationwide protest movement against the 26th and 27th Constitutional Amendments.
Speaking at a news conference at Peshawar Press Club, Lawyers Action Committee Pakistan chairman Ali Ahmad Kurd alleged that the amendments had undermined the rights of citizens, the judiciary and judges.
Mr Kurd, who also played an active role in the lawyers’ movement against the former military ruler Gen Pervez Musharraf, said that the campaign had formally begun with the distribution of awareness pamphlets to people in the historic Qissa Khwani Bazaar. He said lawyers from across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa actively participated in the campaign and reiterated their commitment to continue the movement. Criticising the federal government, Mr Kurd alleged that while successive constitutional amendments were being introduced, millions of Pakistanis continued to suffer from poverty and economic hardship.
“When one visits ordinary households, poverty and hunger are the most visible realities,” he said.
Kurd says amendments undermine rights of citizens
Mr Kurd said the protest movement had deliberately been launched from Peshawar because of the city’s historic role in democratic and political struggles. He praised the legal fraternity in the province for the warm welcome extended to him and said he would continue to defend the rights of the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
He alleged that the 26th and 27th Constitutional Amendments had curtailed judicial independence, weakened public confidence in the courts and adversely affected the rights of judges. He also accused the government of introducing laws aimed at restricting press freedom and suppressing dissent.
Referring to the imprisonment of former prime minister Imran Khan, Mr Kurd questioned the pace and transparency of the legal proceedings, claiming that the trial lacked visible progress.
He further said that political workers had historically resisted authoritarian rule and expressed concern over the use of legal provisions against participants in political gatherings.
Recalling the lawyers’ movement of 2007, Mr Kurd said the role of media in restoring judicial independence could not be forgotten, adding that authoritarian governments had never succeeded in earning lasting public support.
Lawyers Action Committee spokesman Naumanuddin Advocate said the awareness campaign against the constitutional amendments had started from Qissa Khwani Bazaar, where Mr Kurd personally distributed pamphlets among members of the public.
Among those present at the press conference were the committee’s vice-chairman Ali Zaman Khan, Peshawar District Bar Association general secretary Zaidullah Khan and other members of the legal fraternity.
Published in Dawn, August 4th, 2026
