Two rival groups of lawyers’ Bar politics have locked horns over the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA)’s petition in the Supreme Court to overturn lifelong disqualification of Nawaz Sharif and other politicians to contest election.
Professional Group led by Hamid Khan currently hold the covet seats of presidents of Lahore High Court Bar Association (LHCBA) and Lahore Bar Association (LBA) while Independent Group (formerly known as Asma Jahangir Group) has seized the president slot of Supreme Court Bar Association as well as of vice chairman of Punjab Bar Council and the Pakistan Bar Council.
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Presidents of LHCBA and LBA, held a joint press conference and strongly criticized SCBA for approaching the highest court against lifelong ban and demanded immediate withdrawal of the petition, terming it a move for the benefit of a single person. Bar Vice president Mudassar Abbas Magyian and Pakistan Bar Council’s members Shafqat Mehmood Chohan and Istiaq A Chaudhry were also along with them.
LHCBA secretary Mohsin Abbas and the finance secretary Tauqeer Sial, affiliated with the Independent Group led by incumbent president of SCBA Ahsan Bhoon, came out in support of SCBA’s petition and differed from the opinion of their president.
In the press conference, President LHCBA Maqsood Butter said that the Supreme Court had disqualified some politicians for life but SCBA showed political bias by filing a petition against this lifelong ban. He said the Bar association should not become the B team of any political party and follow its agenda. The bar associations should keep their independent entity. He said if the SCBA did not withdraw the petition, LHCBA would call all Pakistan lawyers’ convention to devise a future line of action.
He said that it would have been better if such a petition had been filed by the aggrieved party. It raised many eyebrows that the Supreme Court Bar had filed the petition after so many years. Member Pakistan Bar Council Shafqat Mehmood Chauhan said, “We are not agents of any political party BUT WE had kept aside lawyers’ problems and started following the agenda of political people.”
Separately, LHCBA Secretary Khawaja Mohsin Abbas also held a press conference along with finance secretary Tauqeer Sial in support of SCBA and said the petition cannot be considered as the wish of an individual.
The Supreme Court Bar Association is an independent body and it is its fundamental right to file the petition. The Supreme Court Bar has filed a petition for protection of constitutional rights in the public interest, he added.
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He said he cannot condemn SCBA’s move as it is lawyers’ highest body, adding that not only Nawaz Sharif but also Jahangir Tareen was also disqualified by the earlier decision of the Supreme Court.
Finance secretary Tauqeer Sial said Ahsan Bhoon has moved the petition in accordance with law. He maintained that SCBA was not the B team of any political party and it had led from the front like an A team.
President LBA Rao Sami also lambasted SCBA and held it was a move to deviate from the real issues of the lawyers’ community. He said it should be withdrawn, otherwise the lawyers would hold a protest against it.
Later, LBA senior vice president Khurram Mir also opposed his president and said the SCBA has the right to petition in the Supreme Court, adding that the lawyers have always spoken of the rule of law.
He said not only Nawaz Sharif but 76 other politicians would get fruit of a favourable decision by the apex court. He said the LBA’s position is very clear and the opinion of the President Rao Sami should not be considered as a statement of the Bar Association. He condemned the media trial of the petitioner (Ahsan Bhoon) and said whatever the Supreme Court decides, we all are bound to abide by it.
