SCBA, PBC decide to bury hatchet

SC disposes of petition as both lawyer bodies reach an agreement to end dispute

ISLAMABAD:

The ongoing dispute between the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) and the Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) has been resolved thanks to the efforts of some lawyers.

Both the bar associations will undo the steps they had taken against each other and Attorney General for Pakistan (AGP) Mansoor Awan will play a role in this regard.

This was decided during the hearing of a petition filed by two SCBA officials— SCBA President Abid Zuberi and Secretary Muqtedir Akhtar Shabbir—against the PBC’s decision to remove them from their posts on allegations of misconduct.

The counsel for the SCBA officials, Hamid Khan, contended that the PBC exceeded its authority when it issued notices to Zuberi and Shabbir.

The PBC counsel, Ahsan Bhawan, however, raised objection to the maintainability of the SCBA petition.

“The SCBA should have approached the relevant high court. However, the SCBA even hid the fact from the SC that it had already submitted a petition in high court,” he said.

Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar said the PBC should use its authority according to the law.

“Did the PBC issue any notices to the SCBA president, secretary and additional secretary? Did it give them a chance to present their view? If they were given a chance to present their views then why did it refer the matter to the disciplinary action committee?”

Bhawan said the disciplinary action committee will decide about the licenses of these office-bearers.

Justice Mazhar asked Bhawan where an appeal could be filed against the decision of the PBC. Bhawan replied that the committee that issues an order also hears appeals against its order.

The judge asked if there was any possibility of an agreement [Razinama] between the lawyers of the two lawyers’ forums.

A lawyer, Hasan Raza Pasha, informed the court that some office-bearers and members of the two bodies had held a meeting just then and the two sides had agreed to undo the measures they had taken against each other.

He said the SCBA president will take all members into confidence before taking any decision in future.

Upon assurances of both the PBC and the SCBA, the court incorporated the agreement between the two bodies into its order and disposed of the petition.