MULTAN, Oct 9: The officials of the Lahore High Court Bar Association, Multan bench, say the Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) is not authorised to cancel their licenses.

The PBC has reportedly issued notices to Multan LHCBA President Mehmood Ashraf Khan and Secretary-General Rana Naveed Ahmed for resisting Mr Khosa from entering the high court barroom on Oct 6.

Mr Khan told a press conference here on Thursday Supreme Court and High Court bar associations had mandate to file a reference against a lawyer for his or her misconduct to judge but he and Mr Ahmed were accused of misbehaving with the attorney general for which the PBC could not take action against them. He claimed they had not received any notice issued by the PBC. He said the reported act on part of the attorney general could not hamper lawyers’ struggle for the restoration of judges.

He said that no government official could enter the barroom and the entry of Mr Khosa had been banned by the LHCBA general body of Multan bench.

Lawyers also burnt the effigies of five PBC members and Chief Justice Abdul Hameed Dogar at Kutchery Chowk. Lawyers, however, could not burn the effigy of former PBC chairman Aziz Akbar Baig after a section of lawyers opposed it.

Mr Khosa attended a dinner reception hosted by the Peoples’ Lawyers Forum on Oct 5 where he announced his plans to enter the high court barroom on Oct 6 despite opposition from bar office bearers. Mr Khosa said since he was the PBC chairman, no one could stop him from entering any bar.