ISLAMABAD: The Pakis­tan Bar Council (PBC) said on Tuesday it did not agree with the opinion given by the law ministry that after amendments in the Election Act 2017, President Dr Arif Alvi has no role in the announcement of schedule for the general election.

In a joint press talk, PBC Vice Chairman Haroon-ur-Rashid and the chairman of its executive committee, Hassan Raza Pasha, called upon the president to announce a date for elections, saying that Article 48 (5) of the Constitution empowers him to name the poll date and he needs nobody’s opinion or assistance for this purpose.

The PBC leadership apprised the media about the decisions after attending the All Pakistan Lawyers Representatives Conference at the council’s office in the Supreme Court building.

The conference dwelt at length on matters like the current constitutional crisis, raids on lawyers’ houses and registration of FIRs against them, holding of general elections, price hike, missing persons and the reference filed against a judge of the Supreme Court by the PBC.

The law ministry had given its views about elections after the President House sought its opinion on a letter written by the Election Commission of Pakistan contending that only the ECP had the authority to give a date for elections.

There was a consensus at the conference that political parties should press the government to hold elections within 90 days.

The PBC said it would not allow any “political party to use the legal fraternity for furthering its agenda”. Speakers suggested the caretaker government to call an “All Party Conference” on the economic crisis immediately.

The PBC decided that a delegation would call on the caretaker prime minister in order to help build a political consensus.

“The president should play his constitutional role and announce the date for general elections in order to uphold the supremacy of the Constitu­tion,” a PBC statement said.

Price hike

The conference expressed concern over the recent exorbitant increase of electricity rates as well as petroleum prices, adding an unprecedented price hike had made lives miserable of ordinary people on one hand, and on the other, the privileged class was enjoying electricity, gas and petrol worth billions of rupees for free.

The PBC called upon the government to discontinue such perks without discrimination.

“The facilities available to the elite and a common citizen should be the same and there should be no discrimination.”

The conference urged the government to bar all senior officials, including the prime minister and secretaries to federal as well as provincial ministries, from leaving the country after retirement. “It should be made mandatory on all bureaucrats to get their children educated in government-run schools and colleges.”

The Bar Council requested the Chief Justice of Pakistan-designate, Justice Qazi Faez Isa, to place the references filed by the PBC and provincial bar bodies against a judge of the Supreme Court, before the Supreme Judicial Council after assuming office.

The conference deplored the manhandling and arrest of advocates during the performance of their duties.

It was decided that lawyers would observe a complete strike on Sept 9 to show solidarity with protesters agitating over price hike and inflated electricity bills.

Published in Dawn, September 6th, 2023