Change of support: Bar council issues show-cause notice to lawyer

According to the notice, Fakharyab was a government servant in SNGPL and earned Rs69,000 every month

PESHAWAR:

After calling for a boycott in his support, the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Bar Council issued a show-cause notice to a lawyer who was sentenced to a month in prison in a contempt of court case. Fakharyab Khan, the lawyer, has been asked to appear before the bar council’s executive committee.

The notice was issued by Ijaz Sabi, the committee’s chairperson, on Monday. According to the notice, Fakharyab was a government servant in Sui Northern Gas Pipelines (SNGPL) and earned Rs69,000 every month. It added Fakharyab does not deserve membership of the bar council. As per documents sent by Registrar office to the council, he continued as a government servant without seeking its permission, and kept the council uninformed.

According to Section 60 of Bar Council Rules 2010, any lawyer, who is a member of the council and is simultaneously working or running a business, should obtain prior permission from the council. However, Fakharyab violated this rule and must appear before the committee on May 7.

Rewind

On April 28, lawyers of the Peshawar High Court protested outside the courtroom of Chief Justice Mazhar Alam Miankhel and district and session judge Shahid Khan for sentencing Fakharyab in a contempt of court case. The bar council was part of the boycott.

According to the protesters, sentencing Fakharyab to a month in prison for contempt of court was illegal. They said no rules were followed and he was not given a chance to defend himself.

When the chief justice commenced hearing cases, he remarked what the lawyers did could not be justified. According to Miankhel, Fakharyab misbehaved with a judge and accused her of corruption. He added the lawyer failed to prove the allegations, thereby committing contempt of court for which he was sentenced after following procedure.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 3^rd, 2016.