No-trust motion: lawyers say govt, opposition must not resort to use of force

ISLAMABAD: The top national and provincial Bar councils and associations urged the government and the opposition parties to refrain from use of force for the success or failure of the no-confidence move against Prime Minister Imran Khan.

The representatives of Bar councils and associations from all over Pakistan Wednesday held a meeting at the Supreme Court building in the chair of Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) President Ahsan Bhoon and Vice-Chairman Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) Hafeez ur Rehman.

The participants authorised SCBA president and PBC vice-chairman to approach the Supreme Court or High Court to deal with any constitutional crisis that may arise due to law and order situation in Islamabad. The speaker National Assembly was asked to allow six members of the PBC and the SCBA to act as observers on no-confidence voting day.

They said the violations of the procedure, mentioned in the constitution, would push the country into crises and provide an opportunity to the undemocratic forces to take advantage of the situation. They asked the government and the opposition to avoid holding protest rallies and use of force for no-confidence motion.

They said if the prime minister has the majority in the Parliament then the opposition should respect this mandate, otherwise, in case of no-confidence success the premier should hand over the power to the opposition in accordance with the provisions of the constitution and the law.

They said the closure of roads leading to the Constitution Avenue is unconstitutional and illegal; therefore, asked the authorities to take measures and ensure that the citizens’ movement on the Red Zone without any hindrance, as it is against the spirit of Article 15 of the Constitution.

They hoped that the voting process on no-confidence in the National Assembly would be held peacefully and the speaker NA would exercise his constitutional and legal role transparently and impartially, adding if any untoward situation emerges due to unconstitutional steps then the speaker will be responsible.

The participants asked the leaders of all the political parties not to use foul language against each other, saying the kind of unethical language used by them is giving a negative message to the youth. The meeting condemned the manhandling of former SCBA and PBC chief Kamran Murtaza by Islamabad police, and urged the authorities to take action against the officials who unlawfully arrested Kamran Murtaza.

They demanded that Bangladeshis who were born in Pakistan and have been living in the country for long should be issued CNIC, so that they could also avail rights enshrined in the constitution.

Meanwhile, Hafeez ur Rehman Chaudhry, Vice-Chairman and Pir Muhammad Masood Chishti, Chairman, Executive Committee of the PBC in a statement strongly condemned the Karnataka’s High Court verdict, where the Court has erroneously upheld the imposition of ban on wearing the Hijab in classrooms of educational institutions. They expressed their deep concerns and said that it is the fundamental right to practice one’s religion and this decision manifestly failed to uphold the principle of freedom to religious practices. They further said that Indian Courts should not be voice of Indian Government and should give their verdict independently especially regarding religious matters.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022