Lawyers to stop weekly boycott of courts
The lawyers also announced their decision to end of their weekly boycott of courts over judicial policy.
After the convention, SCBA president Asma Jahangir, in a press briefing, urged the country’s bars to ensure that extravagant expenses on bar elections stopped. The candidates, she stressed, should avoid lavish luncheons and dinners to gain the voters’ support.
It is estimated the Rs10 million is ‘needed’ to contest for the president’s seat of the Lahore High Court Bar Association (LHCBA). Several candidates are said to have paid Rs5.5 million to clear annual voter dues in the LHCBA election to be held on February 26. The recent PBC elections saw some candidates handing out Toyota XLIs for votes. Apparently, Rs1.5 million was the going rate for a vote during the PBC election.
Jahangir alleged that the courts have dismissed several cases after a ‘deal’ citing ‘dismissal for non-prosecution’. She said on behalf of the country’s lawyers that they wanted a review of the judicial policy according to the recommendations of bar councils. She said the lawyers have ended their weekly strike and the judicial policy makers should reciprocate with flexibility at their end. She said that next Saturday the lawyers would not go on strike. Jahangir added she was against any type of lawyers’ strike and advised lawyers not to go on strikes that inconvenience the masses.
She, however, added that when lawyers are victimised and their rights violated, they have the right to record their protest. She said officials who were terminated due to corruption charges should not be given licences to practice.
Jahangir alleged that the government had appointed a number of incapable people on important seats. She said secret agencies are kidnapping innocent people. The government should recover them if it can. The government, she said, should pay attention to the poor facilities in Shangla, Swat and Thatta. She announced that the lawyers would hold seminars in district bars to create awareness among people.
All four SCBA vice presidents and PBC members Muhammad Ahsan Bhoon, Azam Nazir Tarar and Yasin Azad were present.
Punjab Bar Council
Federal Law Minister Babar Awan, while addressing the lawyers at the Punjab Bar Council (PbBC) building, said that many people were unhappy at issuance of arrest warrants for former President Pervez Musharraf. However, he said, the government would not be intimidated by them. He said it was a real revolution that all national institutions today respected one another.
Awan also inaugurated the elevator installed at the PbBC. He said the government by pushing through the 18th constitutional amendment had created hurdles in the way of dictatorship. He said some people were accusing the Pakistan Peoples Party of retreating from its policies but that assessment was inaccurate. He announced a grant of Rs20 million for the construction of a hospital for lawyers which he said would be available when the lawyers find government land close to the bar for the construction. He also handed a cheque for Rs15 million to the representatives of the bar, he had announced this grant for the PbBC two months ago.
Federal Law Secretary Pir Masood Chishti, PbBC vice chairman Lehrasib Gondal and executive committee chairman Mahmood Zafar Mughal were also present.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 14th, 2011.
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