Lawyers slam Punjab Bar Council's resolution against Justice Isa

Senior members of Independent Group say they will oppose any move against SC judge

ISLAMABAD: Senior members of the Independent Lawyers Group – also known as the late Asma Jahangir group – have disowned the Punjab Bar Council’s (PbBC) resolution against Supreme Court judge Justice Qazi Faez Isa.

The council’s executive committee adopted a resolution on Saturday demanding the removal of Justice Isa for his judgement in the Faizabad sit-in case.

It demanded proceedings against Justice Isa under Article 209 (5) of the Constitution for his removal as a Supreme Court judge.

It also described the removal of Justice Shaukat Siddiqui of the Islamabad High Court by the Supreme Judicial Council as a “correct measure”.

Yasin Azad, a senior member of the group, said he fully supported Justice Isa’s verdict.

“I wonder why the council adopted such a resolution. We will resist any move against Justice Isa,” he added.



Kamran Murtaza, another member of the group, shared similar views. He said any move against Justice Isa would be opposed.

The Pakistan Bar Council executive committee comprising members of the Independent Group would hold a meeting today (Monday) to discuss the issue.

It is expected that the committee will disown the Punjab Bar Council resolution.

The Professional Group, also known as the Hamid Khan Group, has also condemned the resolution.

Similarly, lawyers in other provinces have expressed solidarity with Justice Isa.



The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) had recently moved a review petition in the Supreme Court against the February 6 ruling in the 2017 Faizabad sit-in case.

The PTI, in its plea, omitted objections against Justice Qazi Faez Isa and argued that the party was not given a fair chance to present their case.

The plea stated that observations were given against the PTI but the party was not given a chance to justify its stance. The PTI pleaded to expunge the observations against the party from the court’s decision.

Earlier, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) challenged the apex court verdict in the Faizabad sit-in case, saying that it will adversely affect the morale of the armed forces.

The verdict, authored by Justice Isa, had directed the intelligence agencies, including the ISI, the Intelligence Bureau (IB), Military Intelligence (MI), and the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) to not exceed their constitutional mandates.