LAHORE, April 11: The Punjab Bar Council has split over the question of membership and enrolment as advocates of serving full-time law officers, judicial officers and other employees.

A joint statement issued by two former PBC vice-chairmen Ramazan Khalid Joiya and Mohammad Ahsan Bhoon and ex-chairman of the PBC anti-corruption committee Pervez Inayat Malik on Thursday said practising licences cancelled by the council during the last two years did not stand restored. However, the decision would be reconsidered in individual cases.

They warned the PBC staff against carrying out ‘unlawful’ orders of the sitting PBC Vice-Chairman, Chaudhry Mohammad Ramazan.

The signatories to the statement said no committee of the PBC was empowered to nullify the decisions of another committee. Any dispute between two committees is resolved by the general council or goes before the Pakistan Bar Council.

In any case, the PBC executive committee resolution setting aside the anti-corruption committee decisions was not unanimous. Among the dissenters were not only three members but also the chairman of the executive committee, Malik Amjad Husain.