ISLAMABAD: Three major bar associations of the federal capital, on Thursday, rejected the constitutional package and announced to resist the proposed constitutional amendments.
In this regard, representatives of Islamabad Bar Council (IBC), Islamabad High Court Bar Association (IHCBA), and District Bar Association (DBA) held a joint press conference and announced resistance to stop the proposed constitutional amendments.
The bar associations said that after these amendments, the Supreme Court will have no more power than that of a “Sessions Judge”. The lawyers’ three representative organisations of Islamabad demanded from the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) to withdraw the 63A revision appeal from the Supreme Court.
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The lawyers declared that they will not only oppose the amendments but will also actively work to prevent them from being implemented.
Addressing the press conference, IBC’s Raja Aleem Abbasi, along with other senior members, expressed concerns over the amendments, claiming that they were designed to serve specific individuals and political parties.
He asserted that the amendments would undermine the judiciary, reducing the Supreme Court’s powers to those of a sessions judge. Abbasi pointed out that recent amendments aimed at curbing judicial independence by dismissing judges who opposed certain political agendas.
The representatives of the bar associations also demanded the SCBA to withdraw its review petition of Article 63A, accusing the chief justice of playing a facilitator’s role in passing these amendments.
The lawyers claimed that a path was being paved for politically-compliant judges, leaving no room for those with independent consciences.
They also announced an All Pakistan Lawyers Convention, scheduled for 7 October, to rally support against the amendments.
President of the Islamabad High Court Bar Riasat Ali Azad reaffirmed the lawyers’ commitment to resist any attempt to impose what he termed as “civil martial law” in the country.
He warned that any judge following in the footsteps of Justice Munir would be held accountable, vowing to stand like a wall against the constitutional package.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2024