PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Bar Council on Wednesday announced that the lawyers would observe a strike across the province today (Thursday) against the federal law minister’s alleged move to link the provision of annual grants to the bar associations with the passage of a resolution against the Supreme Court judges, especially Justice Qazi Faez Isa.

It asked all bar associations in the province not to pass any resolution sponsored by the law minister.

The council asked the associations to observe a complete strike in the province and pass resolutions against the federal government and its law minister.

KPBA vice-chairman Naeemuddin Khan, chairman of the executive committee Haji Zafar Iqbal and other members said the anti-judges move by the federal law minister was unconstitutional and was meant to create division among lawyers.

Asks lawyer bodies not to pass resolutions against judges

The council also convened a meeting of the presidents of all bar associations on June 19 here for evolving the future course of action on the matter.

The participants said the lawyers in KP were fully united and would foil all conspiracies of the federal government and law minister against the judiciary.

They said their community would go to any extent for the independence of the judiciary, rule of law, supremacy of the parliamentary system and stability of democratic institutions.

The participants regretted that the law minister had been utilising annual grants, whose approval was given in the annual budget, as his personal property and had been pressuring bar association to pass an unconstitutional resolution against the judges.

Meanwhile, the Peshawar High Court Bar Association condemned the federal government’s conduct against the judiciary and said the lawyers would observe a complete strike on the call of the KP Bar Council.

In a news release issued here by PHCBA secretary general Qaisar Zaman, the association had called on the government not to pressure the bar associations to pass resolutions against the superior court judges, especially Justice Qazi Faez Isa.

It was demanded the unconditional release of funds to all associations.

Moreover, a meeting of representatives of different bar associations of Malakand Division was held at Swat Darul Qaza (Circuit Bench), which rejected a resolution against judges and called upon the bar council to adopt a strict action against those involved in hatching conspiracy against judges.

Published in Dawn, June 17th, 2021