In a latest development, an All-Pakistan Lawyers Convention (APLC) has been organized by the Islamabad Bar Council on Monday in which the lawyers have openly rejected the proposed constitutional amendments to the judicial system. They expressed serious concerns regarding the upcoming amendments stating that it will do more harm than good to the judicial system of Pakistan.
Three major bar associations of Islamabad 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… pic.twitter.com/huvqLIg1L6
— PTI Canada Official (@PTIOfficialCA) October 7, 2024
According to them, the amendment is a threat to the judicial independence and stated that they will stand in front of this as an unbreakable wall as lawyers are considered as protectors of the constitution. They also criticized the establishment of a federal constitutional court, stating it as an attempt of anti-democratic forces in the country to undermine the judicial independence and democratic norms.
Spoke at the lawyers convention today in Islamabad alongside Riasat Azad (Pres High court bar), Haleem Abbasi (Member IBC), Hamid Khan. Legal fraternity in one voice rejected the upcoming constitutional amendments! pic.twitter.com/Wn8eSepLaE
— Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar (@mustafa_nawazk) October 7, 2024
However, it is pertinent to mention here that a resolution rejecting the proposed constitutional amendments by the government has been unanimously passed at the lawyer’s convention in which the Additional Secretary of the Supreme Court bar Association, Advocate Shehbaz Khosa, asserted the fact that if this constitutional amendment passes, it will then be a direct attack on the democratic rights of 250 million people of Pakistan.
Save the Judiciary.
— PTI USA Official (@PTIOfficialUSA) October 8, 2024
Save the constitution.
Save Pakistan.
This was the theme of the all-Pakistan Lawyers convention held in Islamabad on Monday. The legal community is up in arms over the military government’s proposed amendment to the constitution which would provide legal… pic.twitter.com/CMemCN0Cd9
The senior lawyer, Babar Awan, stated, “We will not accept the creation of an alternate judiciary. History will soon change after this chapter is closed.” Moreover, the former PPP leader, Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar, stated, “With the unity we have today, we will not allow constitutional amendments to pass”.
On that note, the President of Islamabad High Court Bar Association (IHCBA), Riasat Ali Azad, said, “Bar councils are the walls that protect the judiciary. Don’t weaken them. This amendment aims to dismantle Articles 183, 184, 190, and 199, and in doing so, they seek to create a political, not constitutional, court.”
