ISLAMABAD: The primary task of a lawyer is to provide legal assistance/service to citizens in criminal and civil matters. The legal profession used to be considered a noble one and lawyers, being part of the judicial system, were held in high esteem. Unfortunately, in my view, that is no longer the case.
Some years ago, the legal fraternity, along with media and civil society, fought and won a battle with regard to the restoration of deposed judges of the superior judiciary. But after the restoration of the superior court judges, lawyers who took part in the campaign engaged in physical quarrels with their colleagues who disagreed with them and they fought — at times, literally — with lower court judges.
These lawyers need to understand that the restoration campaign succeeded not only because of their efforts but because of the efforts by civil society in general as well as the media. Also, the objective was not to make practitioners of the legal profession some kind of holy cows but to ensure the judiciary’s independence and that of the rule of law. The result is that the noble profession has not only lost its dignity but has also tarnished the image of the judiciary.
I request the Pakistan Bar Council, the Supreme Court Bar Association and other bar associations in the country to educate young lawyers and impress upon them that their primary duty is to devote their time and energy to come fully prepared before the courts and provide honest legal aid to their clients.
Raja Shafaatullah
Published in The Express Tribune, December 24th, 2012.
