Lawyers call for full court to hear pleas against 26th Amendment

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) former president and senior lawyer Munir Ahmed Malik on Saturday said the judiciary would not play the role of a silent spectator on the 26th Constitutional Amendment, which is against the basic structure of the Constitution and an attack on the independence of judiciary.

Addressing a press conference here outside the Supreme Court, Munir A Malik hoped the Supreme Court will constitute a Full Court for hearing the petitions challenging the amendment.

Other lawyers, including SCBA former presidents Hamid Khan, Ali Ahmed Kurd and Abid Shahid Zubairi, were also present on the occasion.

Munir Ahmed Malik said that the whole legal fraternity has not accepted the 26th Constitutional Amendment as it had attacked the fundamental rights as well as the independence of judiciary.

“These amendments are a direct attack on judiciary, we are united and have realised that the people of this country are looking towards us, hence, we will not disappoint them,” Munir A Malik said. He expected that the judiciary will play at front foot and will not play the role of a silent spectator.

“We appreciate the stand taken by Islamabad High Court Bar Association (IHCBA) President Riyasat Ali Azad for extending his fullest support to the National Action Committee,” he said.

He said the IHCBA president was present in the meeting of National Action Committee, constituted for launching another lawyer movement and had suggested to convene a lawyers convention at Islamabad and all segments of the society, including student unions, labour unions and members of civil societies, should be invited to the convention as these constitutional amendments are a direct attack on fundamental rights as well as the Constitution

Munir A Malik further said that the National Action Committee supports those petitions challenging the 26th Constitutional Amendment and would pursue the petitions, filed in Supreme Court. “The National Action Committee in today (Saturday)’s meeting has resolved that the amendment is against the basic structure of Constitution and its salient features, and no independent court can accept this amendment,” Malik said.

“We expect the Supreme Court will constitute a Full Court for hearing these petitions and we also expect that the court will realise that it is now or never,” he said.

The lawyer leader further said that whenever the petitions were taken up for hearing, lawyers would express solidarity with the petitioners outside the Supreme Court and all the bar associations across the country would stage an appropriate demonstration according to the circumstances.

Ali Ahmed Kurd, speaking on the occasion, said that they had taken all the decisions in the four- hour-long sitting and had appointed Munir A Malik as chairman of the Lawyers National Action Committee for launching a nationwide movement for the independence of judiciary.

“Today we have conveyed the message and it is the slogan of our movement that we are united till the 26th Constitutional Amendment is declared illegal,” Kurd said.

Earlier, a meeting of the National Action Committee for lawyer movement was held in the Supreme Court, attended by senior lawyers as well lawyers representatives from all the provinces.