Lawyer bodies say standing with CJP

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) and Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) Monday announced that the legal fraternity was standing with Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa and he “is a very competent, upright, and independent judge and his integrity is above any doubt”.

In separate statements issued here, they denounced the recent statement of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) spokesperson, demanding recusal of CJP Faez Isa from the apex court benches, hearing the party cases. In their statements, SCBA President Shahzad Shaukat and PBC Vice Chairman Riazat Ali Sehar condemned the PTI Core Committee demand that the CJP should not sit on the benches hearing the PTI related cases, as the party was not getting justice since Justice Qazi Faez Isa took over charge of his office.

They stated that after promulgation of the Supreme Court Practice and Procedure Act 2023, it was the authority of a three-member committee to constitute benches. Therefore, such a wish of any political party was uncalled for, and the tactic was being used to put pressure on CJP Faez Isa, which was extremely deplorable and was not acceptable to the legal fraternity.

They said the legal fraternity had ever supported and struggled for supremacy of the Constitution, rule of law and independence of judiciary. They reiterated their unwavering commitment to uphold the independence of judiciary and rejected any tactic to malign the institution of judiciary.

Separately, Punjab Bar Council (PbBC) Vice-Chairman Kamran Bashir Mughal and Chairman Executive Committee Pir Imran Akram Bodla strongly condemned the statement of a political party that CJQ Faez Isa should not sit on the benches hearing the party cases.

They regretted that the political party was running a propaganda campaign against the CJP to fulfil its nefarious objectives. They said it was a conspiracy to create a negative impression of the high judicial personality in the world and maintain pressure on the judiciary to achieve the political interests.