Lawyers reject 26th amendment: Hamid

Bar leader says legal practitioners to fight for restoration of Constitution

ISLAMABAD:

Senior lawyer Hamid Khan has said lawyers have rejected the 26th Constitutional Amendment, which, according to him, has destroyed the judiciary.

Talking to the media after a meeting of lawyers, Khan said all the lawyers in the country are united against the amendments except for those whose interests are associated with the government.

He said the 26th amendment has deprived the chief justice of his powers. He said lawyers will fight for the country and run a movement to restore the Constitution and ensure independence of the judiciary.

He said lawyers also rejected the constitutional benches formed under the 26th Constitutional Amendment. He said there is no need to increase the number of judges in the Supreme Court as the apex court of India, which is much larger than Pakistan, has only 34 judges.

He also rejected the amendment in the Army Act to increase the tenure of a chief of army staff from three years to five years. He contended that after this amendment, an army chief after getting an extension will be able to lead the army for 1O years.