Lawyers warn of nationwide protest if SC stay on act limiting CJP powers not vacated

• Lawyers' convention held at BHC under aegis of BBC and PBC.
• Lawyers object to why didn't CJP form a larger bench to hear polls case.
• SC to resume hearing on pleas against bill curtailing CJP powers.

QUETTA: The representatives of Bar councils from across the country have expressed their support for the Constitution and warned of countrywide protest if the Supreme Court does not annul its stay order by May 2, issued against the act clipping the powers of the chief justice of Pakistan (CJP).

The apex court had on April 13, stayed the operation on the Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure) Act 2023. Despite the top court’s stay order, the bill was notified as an act by the federal government on April 21.

On Saturday, a lawyers' convention was held at the Balochistan High Court under the aegis of the Balochistan Bar Council (BBC) and Pakistan Bar Council (PBC), The News reported. 

The convention was attended by vice-chairmen, presidents and representatives of all the provincial bar councils, high court bar associations and district bar associations, who objected to the CJP's decision of not forming a larger bench to hear the polls case.

Addressing the convention, Barrister Salahuddin wondered why the CJP always sends sensitive cases to specific judges. He said the current crisis had engulfed the whole country and the judicial crisis was even greater than the issue of elections.

The lawyer said that given the current situation, the CJP should form a larger bench. There must be some reason that the top judge did not form a larger bench, he wondered.

Meanwhile, Advocate Imam Rizvi said that the top court calls upon everyone to create unity, but does not create unity in itself.

IHCBA Vice Chairman Adil Aziz observed the current government and the Supreme Court wanted to bequeath to us such judiciary in which no one will repose trust. He exhorted to revive public and lawyers’ trust in the apex court.

Meanwhile, SHCBA Vice Chairman Arif Abbasi also endorsed Aziz’s point of view, saying if a person does not want a judge to hear his case, the judge should recuse himself from hearing.

Balochistan Bar Council’s Advocate Saleem Lashari was of the view that the current crisis emerged out of the Supreme Court ruling.

"Had the apex court not trampled the Constitution, the crisis would not have emerged. The chief justice should have kept himself aloof from this matter," he said.

The demand comes as the Supreme Court is set to resume the hearing on pleas challenging the constitutionality of the Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure) Act 2023, on May 2 (Tuesday).