HYDERABAD, May 20 The issue of invitation to Chief Justice of Pakistan by the High Court Bar Association (HCBA) Hyderabad chapter once again dominated proceedings of meeting of HCBA on Thursday as no invitation could be extended to him.

According to HCBA general secretary Zahoor A.Baloch, the meeting discussed the proposal in detail. He blamed HCBA president Allah Bachayo Soomro for creating hurdles in the proposed programme so that it could be sabotaged. “He even said in the meeting today he will oppose such a proposal tooth and nail”, Zahoor Baloch alleged. He further said that HCBA was fully prepared to invite the chief justice to administer oath to HCBA's office-bearers whenever he deems fit. He said that barring only the president all members of the executive committee resolved to send formal invitation to CJP.

However, HCBA president Allah Bachayo Soomro, who is also president of People's Lawyers Forum Hyderabad Division claimed that no such item was on the agenda of HCBA's meeting on Thursday. He said that he has no objection in principle to the oath-taking ceremony being addressed by chief justice.

“But the bar has no funds. We are cash-strapped and it requires an expenditure of around Rs200,000 for such an oath- taking ceremony and we are unable to pay salaries of staff members of HCBA”, he said. He added that some HCBA office-bearers had invited CJP verbally when they met him in Islamabad and on Wednesday in Karachi.“But is the oath-taking ceremony so necessary?”, he asked. He said that in fact some people don't like him ever since he was elected as HCBA president and they are now trying to become champion of lawyers' movement while cases were faced by him and his colleagues. “Even Chief Justice has told HCBA officials that he has no time to come to Hyderabad because of his busy schedule”, he said.

Earlier, on April 2 when HCBA held its meeting it didn't extend such invitation while the same was extended to President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah and Sindh Law Minister Ayaz Soomro. Chief minister has only recently addressed HCBA last month, promising land for lawyers and their rightful appointments on different posts.

Former HCBA president Kazi Abdul Sattar, who is also ex--officio executive committee member being former president, said that as per his information Mr.Soomro made it clear that he would not attend such programme if the chief justice addressed bar. “Zahoor Baloch insists that the Chief Justice should address the bar and what I have learnt is that Soomro had opposed it. The executive committee has decided to invite the CJP to address the oath-taking ceremony”, said Kazi, formerly of PPP. He, remained with the lawyers movement and left PPP although he was offered a government position.

Soomro himself remained part of lawyers movement during its initial phase but when PPP changed its stance on deposed judges' reinstatement after forming government post 2008 elections, he also dissociated himself from the movement and started opposing his colleagues who were the vanguard of lawyers movement from Hyderabad. He is subsequently made Additional Advocate-General (AG) Sindh.

He further claimed that as far as expenses of such ceremony are concerned, the expenditure is to be shared by the members from their own contribution and then bar wouldn't incur the same, therefore, question of expenses doesn't arise.