ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) distanced itself from the “political statement” by its additional secretary that after the by-elections’ results the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government has lost legitimacy and should hold fresh elections.
Secretary SCBA Waseem Mumtaz Malik in a statement issued on Monday said that it has come to the Association’s knowledge through some media reports that the Bar Additional Secretary Chaudhry Riasat Ali Gondal, has issued some sort of “political statement”, earlier today (Monday).
He clarified that the statement is only of the additional secretary’s personal opinion and the SCBAP has nothing to do with it, as any statement or decision made in SCBAP is always well consulted between the President, Secretary, office bearers and the Executive Committee. Obviously, the said act does not fall in the domain of Additional Secretary, stated Waseem.
He dispelled the impressions and claims that Association has any partisan agenda or support any political segment/party, saying the SCBA does not hold any right to comment or dictate about the legitimacy or illegitimacy of any government, as it is the sole prerogative of the Parliament, thus it always manifest that the supremacy of the Constitution, rule of law and the independence of the institutions, must always prevail in all circumstances, may come what.
Waseem further stated that the SCBA believes that the obedience of the Constitution is the only way out for all the political parties for the realisation of any political requirements. The forum of the SCBAP is always open for all and has always provided a platform to all stakeholders, not for the violation but for the observance of the “Constitution”.
Earlier, Additional Secretary SCBA Chaudhry Riasat Ali Gondal issued a press release, on the SCBA’s official letterhead, stating that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)’s victory in Sunday’s by-election for 20 Punjab constituencies reflected that the PML-N-led government “has lost legitimacy and fresh transparent elections are the only constitutional solution for Pakistan.”
Quoting two former presidents of the United States in an attempt to appeal to the urgency of “democracy”, Gondal wrote, “It is high time that the Supreme Court Bar Association of Pakistan (SCBAP) also carries out some course correction.”
Copyright Business Recorder, 2022
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