Court Proceedings: IHC orders to maintain status-quo on interim order

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has told competing parties of the Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) to maintain a status-quo till the court hears the case on dissolving committees of the council.

A special division bench comprising Justice Noorul Haq Qureshi and Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui stated that keeping in view the urgency raised by both sides, the case will be taken up on Monday , September 26.

In the meantime, the court directed the parties concerned to submit and exchange reply, rebuttal, rejoinder or any other document in the case, if so desired.

Earlier, while issuing a stay order against dissolution of the committees, the special division bench had allowed the Hamid Khan-led Professional Group to continue to handling PBC’s affairs till the next hearing. The court had ordered to restore all committees of the PBC which had been suspended when a member of the committees switched loyalties and turned the tables on the elected group.

The order was issued in response to a petition filed by Legal Education Committee Chairman Mohammad Shoaib Shaheen, Law Reforms Committee Chairman Chaudhry Ishtiaq Ahmed, and Appeal Committee Chairman Tahir Nasarullah Warriach.

The case will be taken up on Monday.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 24^th, 2016.