ISLAMABAD, Feb 11: The Pakistan Bar Council, apex body of legal practitioners, called upon the lawyers throughout the country on Monday not to appear before Anti-Terrorism Courts, in which army officers would be sitting as members of the court.

In an announcement, the PBC strongly condemned promulgation of the Anti-Terrorism (Amendment) Ordinance 2002, providing for the reconstitution of Anti-Terrorism Courts with military officers as their members.

“The council is of the considered view that such anti- terrorism courts would be military courts for all intents and purposes and this would be unconstitutional.”

The federal government on Jan 31, 2002, amended anti-terrorism law providing that a three-member ATC would consist of a judge, a magistrate and an army officer not below the rank of Lt-Col.

The amendment has been introduced by the military government on the pretext that existing anti-terrorism courts were not delivering the results.

The law provides that in case of difference of opinion amongst the members of the court, majority decision would prevail.

The PBC meeting was attended by eight members of the Pakistan Bar Council, namely, Hamid Khan, Abdul Haleem Pirzada, Rasheed A. Razvi, Abu’l Inam, Mohammad Yousaf Leghari, H. Shakil Ahmad, Hafiz Abdul Rehman Ansari and Abdul Rahim Kazi.