KARACHI: Apprehensive of a proposed government plan to curtail the powers and jurisdictions of the superior courts, the lawyers from Sindh have also decided to join a country-wide protest and observe a black day today.
“We are aware that the government is considering a number of steps including amendments in the law of the land that would introduce a mechanism to impeach the Chief Justice of Pakistan,” said Mehmoodul Hasan, the Karachi Bar Association president, while confirming the protest and black day plan at city’s courts and other courts of the province.
The bar leaders fear that the government was actively considering a number of measures to clip the wings of the superior courts and to tame the “independent judiciary” through amendments in the Constitution and other relevant laws.
The KBA chief said that “the government is also considering the establishment of supreme courts in all the provinces. Lawyers will never allow this. These would be supra-constitutional measures aimed at undermining the independence of the judiciary.”
He warned the government that “conspiracies against the judiciary would fuel another mass movement that would culminate in end of the present regime.”
“The amendments that are being proposed to be initiated through Senate of Pakistan would bring an end to the Zardari regime,” said Mehmoodul Hasan, vowing that lawyers are united from Karachi to Khyber and any move to undermine the independent judiciary would be foiled.
The lawyers will hold general body meetings of their respective bar associations, discuss the emerging challenges and proposed amendments and chalk out a strategy “to give tough time to the ruling coalition.”
Published in The Express Tribune, June 27th, 2012.
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