Lawyers demand full-court hearing in meddling case

Urge authorities to immediately quash fabricated cases registered against lawyers

LAHORE:

A lawyers’ convention on Saturday demanded the formation of a full court of the Supreme Court to hear a suo motu case regarding alleged meddling in the affairs of Islamabad’s district and high courts by operatives of the country’s spy agencies.

In a strongly worded statement issued after the meeting, the convention also condemned the alleged persecution of lawyers in Punjab through the institution of cases against them and their arrests, demanding that such "baseless and fabricated" cases be immediately quashed.

Last month, six of the eight Islamabad High Court (IHC) justices wrote an explosive letter to the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) chairman—Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa—accusing the country’s secret agencies of using coercive tactics to pressure judges of the capital’s high and lower courts.

The SC later took suo motu notice of the letter, and a larger bench is hearing the matter.

Referring to the letter, the statement said: “The bold display of extraordinary courage by six conscientious IHC judges in exposing interference, harassment, and unmasking threats by intelligence agencies in judicial affairs is commendable.”

It demanded that the SC form a full court on the letter, hear the case on a daily basis, and give strict punishment to the responsible individuals “so that no future government official or representative of the establishment dares to interfere in the constitutional and legal work of esteemed judges.”

The statement, signed by office-bearers of the Lahore High Court Bar Association (LHCBA), also highlighted incidents of unconstitutional and illegal cases being filed against lawyers in “an attempt to prove that lawyers are associated with terrorist groups”.

“These false accusations against lawyers are the worst conspiracy to suppress them. The arbitrary arrests of esteemed lawyers on baseless charges from their chambers not only prove the administration's enmity towards lawyers but also reveal their malicious intent.

“Similarly, the inclusion of false cases against esteemed lawyers by officials of Hafizabad and Sheikhupura bars and the collaboration of the judiciary and administration in arresting them and sending them to jail on fabricated charges is not only condemnable but also unconstitutional.”

The letter also condemned dividing the courts of Lahore based on “unfounded and conspiratorial grounds”. It demanded that the notification for Model Town Court be immediately withdrawn and that district courts in Lahore be allowed to operate at their old location.

Meanwhile, the LHCBA has announced a strike to be observed on Monday, April 29, against the alleged persecution of lawyers in Punjab.