SCBA dispels meeting PM for financial aid

Association says agenda was to highlight delay in housing society for SC lawyers

ISLAMABAD:

The Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) has rejected the impression that it held meeting with Prime Minister Imran Khan for financial aid.

SCBA Secretary Ahmed Shehzad Farooq Rana issued a statement on Friday in connection with a delegation of the SCBA meeting the premier a day earlier.

"An incorrect impression has been created as if the SCBA went to the PM to support the government. This is not so,” it read.

The SCBA secretary maintained that the meeting was arranged by Federal Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry, who had “always contributed much for lawyers’ welfare and benefits”.

He added that the SCBA had always worked for the welfare of the lawyers, and only stood for the rule of law.

“In fact the main agenda for meeting was to highlight the fact that successive governments, for their own vested ends, have been delaying the process of finalising the implementation of the housing society for Supreme Court lawyers.”

Rana claimed that the SCBA had not asked for any financial aid from the government but rather it was pointed out to the PM that more than Rs6 billion, which is the money for the payment of the land, was paid by lawyers in 2016 but instead of finalising the plans for the scheme, the authorities were delaying the matter.

The SCBA secretary further maintained that the delegation had also pointed out that it was not satisfied with the reform agenda being carried out by the law ministry or the performance of the law minister.

He added that the PM agreed with the contentions of SCBA. “The presence of the minister in the meeting was in fact not informed to the delegation beforehand.”

Rana said the SCBA had not lent any support to the government against Justice Qazi Faiz Isa. In fact, he added, the bar association maintained its stance that the government should withdraw its “so-called” petition against him.

The SCBA secretary claimed that the delegation had also pointed out that in the matter of appointment of judges. “There should be transparency and that the resolution of the bars should be implemented in this regard.”

The statement read that the SCBA executive committee firmly stood by its President Abdul Lateef Afridi.