ISLAMABAD: The legal fraternity has termed the distribution of Rs175 million by the ruling Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) among the bar association across the country as a dignified bribe to muster up support for the Presidential References filed against two judges of the superior courts.Pakistan Bar Council Vice Chairman Syed Amjad Shah, Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) President Aman Ullah Kanrani, and Rashid A Rizvi, former President of the SCBA, vowed to continue to protest and protect the judiciary and constitution, demanding of the government to withdraw the presidential reference filed against Justice Qazi Faez Isa which they termed as an outcome of mala fide intention of the government.As the Supreme Judicial Council has started its proceedings on the Presidential References filed against Justice Qazi Faez Isa, a senior Judge of the Supreme Court, and Justice Karim Khan (KK) Agha, a judge of Sindh High Court, and will be holding its 2nd proceeding on July 2, Federal Minister for Law Dr Farogh Nasim the other day distributed Rs175 million among 137 bar associations across the country.The legal fraternity vowed to remain adamant terming the presidential references filed against the two judges of the superior courts as mala fide intention and reaffirmed commitment to continue its peaceful protests across the country.“The distribution of money by the federal law minister among the bar associations is a dignified bribe to muster support for the presidential reference filed against Justice Qazi Faez Isa,” said Rashid A Rizvi.He questioned as to what prompted the government to distribute the money among the bar associations at a time when the momentum of layer’s movement is at peak in connection of the Presidential Reference filed against Justice Qazi Faez Isa.“What does it mean? Definitely the government has opted to muster support of the lawyers for the presidential references, filed against two judge of the superior courts”, he told The News.He said that for the past six years, the legal fraternity was demanding the funds but nobody paid any heed but now when the lawyers are united at one common platform protesting over the government’s move filing the references with the Supreme Judicial Council, the government came into action only just to muster its support.In the past, he said that the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) government through its law minister Dr Babar Awan had disbursed Rs776.4 million among 132 district bar associations for mustering support in response of the Supreme Court pressure, seeking implementation of its orders regarding the National Reconciliation Ordinance and the reopening of the Swiss case against the then president Asif Ali Zardari.“But I don’t think that the lawyers will get back from their earlier stance and would continue to protest to protect the judiciary and rule of law, stressing the government to withdraw the instant references”, Rashid A Rizvi said adding that he too of the view that the presidential references were filed on mala fide intention and its should be withdrawn at the earliest.Commenting on what he termed the non-transparent distribution of money among the bar associations, Rizvi said that judgments of Supreme Court as well as High Courts are in field holding that there should be unified distribution of money among the bars associations.He said that the law minister gave Rs10 million to Sindh Bar Council as it along with other bar councils had demanded withdrawal of presidential references as well as resignations of Law Minister Farogh Nasim and Attorney General Anwar Mansoor Khan.“But the Law Minister gave Rs30 million to Punjab Bar Council because it had supported the presidential references,” Rizvi said adding that there should be transparent and unified distribution of the funds among the bar associations.Meanwhile, Vice Chairman Pakistan Bar Council Syed Amjad Shah said that it was the constitution right of all the bar associations to get the funds and the government should not get the credit for distributing the said fundsHe, however, said that the distribution of money among the bar councils would not make the lawyers across the country get back from their stance, demanding of the government to withdraw the presidential reefreence filed against Justice Qazi Faez Isa which he said was filed on mala fide intention.The money distributed by the law minister among the bar associations would further energized the lawyers to continue their protest by protecting the state”, Amjad Shah told The News.Aman Ullah Kanrani, the SCBA President, also vowed to continue their resolve to protect the judiciary and extend maximum support to Justice Qazi Faez Isa whom he said has been targeted by the government for his bold decisions.He said that the law minister had asked him to nominate a representative for getting the cheque of money however, he said that he refused to get the money. “We are still committed to our stance that the government has filed the reference against Justice Qazi Faez Isa on mala fide intention and we demand its withdrawal,” Kanrani told The News.He said it’s time to protect Justice Qazi Faez Isa who is hailing from province of Balochistan and the future chief justice of Pakistan adding that if they did not raise their voice then the province will be deprived for next 30 years from having its chief justice of the country’s highest court.
from The News International - National https://ift.tt/2XhvmZq
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