Biggest bar: LBA leaders’ accounts of finance secretary’s suspension vary

A press release claimed that they had unanimously decided to suspend him.

LAHORE: Several Lahore Bar Association (LBA) leaders have expressed surprise over the suspension of LBA’s finance secretary’s, claiming that they were not aware of it.

LBA President Chaudhry Ishtiaq had issued a press release on Saturday stating that finance secretary Pir Syed Fareedul Haq Chishti’s membership of the LBA had been suspended for misconduct – apparently calling a meeting and a strike without taking the LBA executive into confidence – and taking steps prejudicial to the welfare of LBA.

The press release said that the decision had been taken during a meeting of the LBA’s executive held at the LBA committee room at which Senior Vice President Ghulam Abas Sahir, Vice President Labib Zafar Bajwa, Model Town Vice President Rana Zameer Jhedhu, Secretaries Chaudhry Saleem Ladhi, Qaseem Aslam Hanjra and Joint Secretary Tahir Riaz Sulehria were present. The press release said they had unanimously decided to suspend the finance secretary’s membership.

However, out of the members mentioned in the press release only Qaseem Aslam Hanjra said he was aware of the decision. The rest claimed that they were not aware of it.

An LBA official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told The Express Tribune that rift between the bar leaders occurred when Chishti demanded open bidding for parking stand contracts. He said some of the bar leaders did not want that to happen.

Senior Vice President Ghulam Abas Sahir told The Express Tribune that the suspension was illegal. He said Chishti’s membership could not be suspended without a discussion on the matter in a general house meeting.

He said he had strong reservations to the press release issued by the president. He said he would discuss the matter with him on Monday.

He said he was leading a mediation committee including Vice Presidents Labib Zafar Bajwa and Zameer Ahmed Jhedu to end the rift between some bar representatives and the finance secretary. “Issuing a press release announcing the suspension of the finance secretary’s membership is regrettable,” he said.

LBA secretary Hanjra said the finance secretary had demanded a car to be purchased from LBA funds and had been refused.  “He then called a meeting without informing other members of the executive and announced a strike without taking them into confidence.”

Chishti has denied the allegations. He said he was being targeted because he had raised concerns regarding “corrupt elements” in the Lahore Bar Association. He said some LBA members were involved in corruption and embezzlement of LBA funds. “My membership was cancelled because I spoke up against them.”

He said that he would provide evidence of his innocence at a lawyers’ meeting in a few days.

LBA President Chaudhry Ishtiaq said that senior vice president had issued a “political statement” and was being diplomatic about the whole affair. “All members of the executive were taken on board for this,” he said.

When asked whether Chishti’s membership had been suspended because he had asked for open bidding for parking lot contracts, Ishtiaq said the allegation was false and that the bidding had been open and transparent.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 9^th, 2014.