Pakistan Bar Council on Saturday announced a countrywide move against Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government for creating hurdles in constitutional and judicial functions of Supreme Court in Panama Papers leaks case. The top regulatory body of the lawyers in the country, Pakistan Bar Council (PBC), made this announcement while strongly condemning the PML-N Senator Nehal Hashmi's threatening statement.
The PBC termed Nehal Hashmi's statement politically motivated and said he has threatened the judges of Supreme Court and members of the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) probing Panama Papers leaks case. Vice chairman of the PBC Muhammad Ahsan Bhoon and Chairman Executive Committee Hafeezur Rehman Chaudhry expressed these views in a joint statement.
They were of the view that the government's manipulated and managed move is not only aimed at making the interrogation of JIT controversial but also to threaten the apex court judges, particularly those who are on the bench constituted for the implementation of Panama Papers Leaks judgement.
They pointed out that an FIR under sections 6 and 7 of the Anti Terrorists Act may be registered against Senator Nehal Hashmi for his verbal attack of on the Supreme Court judges and JIT members. They said he wanted to pressurise the JIT and judges of the Supreme Court. Expressing concern over the press statement of the government's spokesman in reaction to observations of the judges of the Supreme Court, the PBC office bearers termed it as derogatory and contemptuous which amounts to direct interference into functioning and independence of the superior judiciary.
They urged the Supreme Court to initiate legal and penal action against those on whose behest the said statement has been issued. Both the Vice-Chairman and Chairman of Executive Committee PBC recalled that the legal fraternity always stood for supremacy of the Constitution, rule of law and independence of judiciary and would fully stand by the Supreme Court, against any ill-motivated and politically-designed onslaught of the government to threaten the independence and constitutional functioning of the judiciary.