ABBOTTABAD: The Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) will decide its future line of action regarding any move against Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in view of the Panama case verdict in its general body meeting on May 2.

This was stated by SCBA president Rasheed A Rizvi while addressing as chief guest at a reception arranged for him by the Peshawar High Court Bar Association, Abbottabad circuit bench, here on Tuesday.

Mr Rizvi said that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif should have stepped down on ‘moral grounds’ soon after the verdict in Panama Papers case as all the five judges of the apex court had not given him a ‘clean chit’. He added that two of the judges had clearly declared him ‘ineligible’ while three decided to go for further probe into the case.

About the Lahore High Court Bar Association’s decision to launch a movement against the government, the SCBA president observed that any decision taken in haste would not serve the purpose and a joint strategy should be adopted after consultation. He lauded the role of lawyers of Hazara division in the 2007 lawyers’ movement where majority of them were arrested during the campaign for restoration of judiciary.

Rizvi says SCBA to devise future line of action on May 2

Earlier, Abbottabad circuit bench PHCBA president Qazi Mohammad Arshad in his welcome address said that the Hazara bar produced many senior lawyers who had earned repute in the judiciary. The reception was also attended by senior lawyers from Haripur, Abbottabad and Mansehra who included Sabir Tanoli, Iftikhar Khan, Adam Khan Jadoon, Tahir Faraz Abbasi and others.

Mr Rizvi announced a donation of Rs500,000 for the bar room’s library.

Later, he also attended a rally of journalists of Abbottabad which was staged on the call of Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists to record their protest against the ongoing dialogue between the Pemra and Broadcasters Association regarding increase of commercial airtime.

The speakers on this occasion demanded timely payment of salaries, medical facilities, insurance, etc to the media workers.

Published in Dawn, April 26th, 2017