LAHORE, Nov 5: The Lahore High Court Bar Association’s call for a black day on Thursday against the outside elements’ unruliness at the bar meeting on Monday (Nov 3), has been endorsed by the Pakistan Bar Council and the provincial bar associations, which have appealed to lawyers across the country to wear black armbands while appearing in court.
The LHCBA call for protest against the unruly incidents on Monday won the support of sister bodies which vowed at a news conference here on Wednesday that lawyers could neither be divided nor deterred from continuing their just struggle against the Legal Framework Order (LFO) and the increase in retirement age of judges.
Pakistan Bar Council executive committee chairperson Mohammad Kazim Khan said the real objective behind the unfortunate events of last week, which started with demolition of law chambers on Fane Road and saw an attack on the bar by outsider ruffians, was that the legal community be disunited and made to relinquish its democratic struggle. He said the objective had not been achieved as the bar emerged stronger and more united than ever before and now had no doubt that the struggle against dictatorial measures and attempts to undermine the constitution and the superior judiciary was their paramount obligation.
Mr Kazim’s tone was conciliatory while saying that the community wanted to resolve all issues through talks. “I have heard of moves for a negotiated settlement of the outstanding issues; they are welcome and we will make a positive contribution to the efforts for normalcy.”
Sindh Bar Council vice-chairperson Yasin Azad and Punjab Bar Council executive committee chairperson Jamshed Sheikh, Sindh High Court Bar Association president Muneer Malik, Karachi Bar Association president Mohammad Ali Abbasi, Lahore Bar Association senior vice-president Omar Hayat, Punjab Bar Council executive committee members Ghulam Nabi Bhatti and Aatir Hashmi and former Supreme Court Bar Association president Hamid Khan have also supported the call for protest on Thursday.
As for Lahore High Court’s award of two kanals to the Punjab Bar Council, as claimed by the council’s vice-chairperson Arif Chaudhry, representatives of lawyers bodies held the view that the LHCBA had been negotiating the issue with the high court for decades and there was no new development in this regard. “I do not think that land has been given to anyone. If any forum is to deal with the issue, it is the LHCBA,” said Kazim Khan in reply to a question.
As for LHCBA’s reluctance in immediately starting a dialogue with the LHC chief justice, Mr Kazim and Mr Hamid said the bar had given its office-bearers a mandate for talks. It was now up to the chief justice to extend an invitation. Asked if CJ’s invitation on Nov 1 was not enough, Mr Hamid said the chief justice still had to fix a day for talks. He said all lawyers wanted cordial relations with the bench. “Neither they nor we want a change of faces; we are not opposed to anybody and have no vested interest,” he added.
ARIF CHAUDHRY: Punjab Bar Council vice-chairperson Arif Chaudhry has said there is no justification for a protest call at a time when all are talking about return to normalcy.
He told this reporter on Wednesday that there were no outsiders during the bar proceedings on Monday. Those who were protesting against LHCBA president’s politicization of a simple issue, were genuine lawyers and voters of the high court bar.