PBC suspends lawyers: What Musharraf could not do!

Guest post by Silence from Islamabad Observer blog

The Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) has suspended the practicing licences of advocates Mahmood Ashraf and Rana Naveed, President and General Secretary, respectively of the Lahore High Court (Multan bench) for allegedly misbehaving with Latif Khosa, Attorney General of Pakistan, who also acts as an ex-officio Chairman of PBC. The PBC also restrained them from functioning as office bearers and operating the Bar accounts.

According to details, High Court Bar Association of Multan had banned Sardar Latif Khosa’s entry in Multan High Court Bar in a meeting of ‘General House’, yet he arrived at High Court Bar accompanied by lawyers belonging to People’s Lawyers Forum. The Secretary Bar, Rana Naveed and some other lawyers objected to Khosa’s presence there and ask him to leave and started to chant slogans demanding restoration of Chief Justice of Pakistan, Ifthakhar Muhammad Chaudhry.

Interestingly, High Court Bar Association is an independent organization, regulated by its own constitution and Pakistan Bar Council can not suspend its office bearers. PBC also has no powers under the Bar Council’s Act to interfere in to its functioning or to regulate its accounts. Secondly, at present, Pakistan Bar Council do not possess any powers to suspend the practicing licenses of lawyers. These powers were withdrawn during Musharraf’s emergency and PCO, the proposed amendment in to Bar Councils Act is still not before the parliament.

Apart from the arguments about validity of decision of Pakistan Bar Council, President and Secretary of High Court Bar are custodians of the Bar and it’s their duty to implement the decisions of the house. As, the house has passed a unanimous resolution banning entry of AG, they were performing their duty under the law while asking AG to leave the Bar premises. Performance of their functions under the law does not constitute misconduct or a reason to suspend their licences and deprive them earning a living as lawyers.

Unfortunately, after the biased and illegal decision of Pakistan Bar Council, the only forum available to them is to file a petition before High Court, which is composed of notorious ‘PCO’ judges. The outcome of any such appeal before handpicked judges of former dictator Pervez Musharraf is not difficult to imagine. As a result, the two top office bearers of High Court Bar Multan would be out of business and unable to earn living for indefinite period of time.

Musharraf regime was unable to this with lawyer’s community, as majority of PCB members was in favor of restoration of deposed judges and CJ. Since the democratic government took power, it successfully bought loyalties of 2 out of 11 members of PBC by offering them profitable posts and thus PPP got a simple majority in PBC. Since then PBC has actually become an extension of Musharraf’s regime and a tool to victimize lawyers who are protesting for restoration of deposed judges.

Is this, for what nation voted for Pakistan Peoples Party?

Comments

11 responses to “PBC suspends lawyers: What Musharraf could not do!”

  1. GeoZardari Avatar
    GeoZardari

    GEO ZARDARI!!!

    daba kai rakh sabko,
    jo zara boley dabadey usko,
    maar daall sab salon ko,
    balkey poorey Pakistan ko dahshatgard bolkey amarika ko bol bum giradey salon pr….

    khaney ko hai nahee inkey pass, aur tujh sai pangaaa letay hain…

  2. PeoZardari Avatar
    PeoZardari

    Zardari Peo Pakistan Ka Khoon
    Peo Aur Geo Her paL geO tv per geo dekh ker.
    gaand maar dey salooo ki by exercising kleptocracy under the guise of democracy.
    Allah curse on those who choose him including Altaf Raja

  3. freedom Avatar
    freedom

    Sorry, No air left in this lawyer Balloon…..Movement died when mushy was impeached.

    Move on people, as Pakistan is financially bankrupt, sold its army to USA for few dirty dollars, and Pakistan became Bombistan, where army and citizens bomb each other daily.

  4. justanotherpakistani Avatar
    justanotherpakistani

    Dr Attaur Rehman has decided to step down

    http://www.dawn.com/2008/10/10/top15.htm

    Although I am not a fan of MUSH, but DR Ata-ur-Rehman’s appointment was something that I give credit to MUSH.

    Long live Dr Ata-ur-Rehman and other heroes of Pakistan.

  5. confused! Avatar
    confused!

    it is disheartening to know that Ata ur Rehman has quit.

  6. yaseen ch Avatar

    how much he good may be but was a product of dictatorship who worked in dictatorial way not improving the primary education but directly higher education.

  7. Linta Avatar
    Linta

    kya Mush ney Ifthikhar Ch ko “zameen ki dirt” kaha tha?
    Mush ne kaha tha CH ko zameen ki gund yani dirt hain??

  8. Altaf Avatar
    Altaf

    Well those with our heads above the clouds knew this was going to happen. I am not the least bit surprised.

    This movement led by politically motivated lawyers with some gullible souls & backed by PML-N & PPP was always going to end up like this. Those who thought crooks like Sharif & Bhutto/Zardari were ever sincere are well just plain stupid. How many times do you have to be duped by these parties & the individuals that lead them to realize that they are as much a part of the problem as are some enterprising generals.

  9. iPakistani Avatar
    iPakistani

    guYasir,

    I have read your posts. Why do you want to show off that Dr Israr is your relative. Anyway he is good. but you don’t need to show-off.

    Any way, Check out Anwar Awlaqi, google him or search on you tube. Listen to his lecture

    Battle of The Hearts and Minds
    http://nadeem.lightuponlight.com/indexaudios1.html#Anwar_Al-Awlaki

    Check

  10. sy lodhi Avatar
    sy lodhi

    Dr Atta ??? How cud he be Good 4 Pakistan? Budget of HEC–20 billion PKR per annum. Literacy rate -below 45%. most neglected sector-primary education. Part of education budget 4 primary sector—below 20% of total allocation.

    wat was the vision of Atta?? Ask the beneficiaries and contractors.

    small example….purchase of particle accelerator from USA….worth only few million USD…obsolete, not purchased by any one else. And of no use to Pakistan. Read Dr Hood Bhai's article in Dawn. He chairs the physics deptt in QAU and was not consulted. After his article in paper, it was stated in reply article or in letters to the editor that IT WAS DECIDED TO BUY IT ASP AND FIND ITS UTILITY LATER SINCE IT IS HIGHLY VALUABLE 4 RESEARCH.

    Atta is just a Bori of Atta (sorry that is a valuable commodity now) and rightly be sacked.

    By the way his thesis / dissertation 4 doctaral thesis was on a theory which was proven to be impractical and invalid.

    yet he allocated huge research fund to a sycophant who chose to do research on same article of Atta.