PBC seeks resumption of land reforms case hearing

The highest elected body of lawyers – the Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) – has asked the state’s top law officer – Attorney General for Pakistan (AGP) – to make efforts to ensure that the apex court soon resumes hearing of a crucial land reforms case.

After restoration of judges in March 2009, senior lawyer Abid Hassan Minto had moved the Supreme Court to implement the land reforms introduced by former prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto through Martial Law Regulation 115 of 1972 and the Land Reforms Act, 1977.

He had urged the court to nullify the 1990 judgment of an appellate bench of the Federal Shariat Court (FSC) that declared the land reforms un-Islamic. In its judgement, the FSC had noted that no one can be deprived of a lawfully acquired property.

In 2013, a nine-member larger bench led by former chief justice of Pakistan (CJP) Iftikhar Chaudhry had appointed four `amacus curiaes' – including Khawaja Haris from Punjab, Makhdoom Ali Khan from Sindh, Latif Afridi from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Shakil Hadi from Balochistan – to assist the court in the case.

It had also issued notices to the then AGP and the provincial advocate generals. However, after CJP Chaudhry's retirement in December 2013, the apex court had never resumed hearing of the case. 

PBC Vice Chairman Abid Saqi met AGP Khalid Javed Khan on Monday and requested him to take steps for resumption of the hearing of the case.

Saqi said it was needed in the vital national interest that the Supreme Court took up the land reforms case and decided it at the earliest in view of its utmost significance and urgency

The AGP assured the PBC vice chairman of his full cooperation for getting the needful done in this regard. According to sources, the AGP will request the incumbent CJP Gulzar Ahmed to resume hearing of the case.