KARACHI, May 10: Leaders of the legal fraternity said on Thursday that Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani had become disqualified from the office of premiership and legislature after being convicted by the Supreme Court in the contempt of court case.
The representatives of the Pakistan Bar Council, the Sindh Bar Council and the Karachi Bar Association stated that the federal law minister was ‘misguiding’ the nation over the issue as the speaker of the National Assembly had no role, but to send theconviction reference of PM to the Election Commission.
Pakistan Bar Council member Rasheed A. Razvi along with vice chairman of the Sindh Bar Council Ghulam Mohammad Abbasi, the PBC and the SBC members, Karachi Bar Association president Mehmoodul Hasan, secretary Khalid Mumtaz, Malir Bar Association secretary Lutfullah and other bar representatives was addressing a press conference.
Advocate Razvi said that the speaker could not act as appellate authority on the judgment of the Supreme Court’s seven member bench and after the detailed judgment of the Supreme Court against the prime minister in contempt case, the speaker was duty-bound to send the reference to the Election Commissioner.
They demanded that the vacant post of the permanent judge of the Supreme Court was fulfilled immediately while ad-hoc judges could be appointed under the constitution in case of lack of judicial quorum.
KBA president Mehmoodul Hasan dispelled the impression that all district bar associations had attended the all Pakistan lawyers’ representatives meeting in Lahore and said that the majority of district bar associations did not attend that meeting.
The KBA president said that the government was also intending to replace acting Chief Election Commissioner Justice Shakirullah Jan to get the desired results.
He said that appointment of all judges of superior courts and district courts should strictly be made on merit.
He said that all Pakistan lawyers’ convention would be held on May 19 in Rawalpindi to draw a further line of action and compel the rulers to not ‘deviate’ from the judgments of the Supreme Court.
He said that next lawyers’ convention would be held in Multan and lawyers would present a memorandum to what they called ‘former Prime Minster’ Yousuf Gilani at his residence as he was no more premier after his conviction.
Vice chairman of the SBC and Supreme Court Bar Association representative Abbas Ali said that although they attended the meeting, but did not sign the resolution adopted by the meeting as resolution adopted in lawyers meeting was not point of view of the Pakistan Bar Council and Supreme Court Bar Association, but the personal opinion of the individual.