ISLAMABAD, Oct 2: Leader of the People's Party Parliamentarians (PPP) in the Senate Mian Raza Rabbani has criticized Federal Minister for Law and Justice Wasi Zafar for claiming credit for the withdrawal of an amendment to the Legal Practitioners and Bar Council Act 1973.

In a statement here on Saturday, he said it was unfortunate that through distortion of facts, the government had taken credit for the withdrawal of Section 54-A from the Act.

The section sought to increase the powers of the superior courts to suspend or disbar advocates for misconduct.

The PPP senator said the bill was tabled by Senator Anwar Bhinder on a private members' day in the light of the recommendations of the Pakistan Bar Council (PBC). He said the recommendations of the PBC were pending with the ministry of law for the past over six months without any action, and on the introduction of the bill by Mr Bhinder, the government decided to take charge of the bill.

On floor of the house, he said, it came to the notice, particularly of Senator Wasim Sajjad, that Section 54-A, which was not a recommendation of the PBC nor was part of Mr Bhinder's bill, had been sneaked in by the law ministry in the hope that it may go unnoticed due to the rush for its passage.

He said it was at this point that the members decided that the matter be referred to the standing committee. He said the decision to delete Section 54-A was taken by the committee members with consensus in a meeting on October 1. He said after the decision, the ministry announced the withdrawal of the amendment.