LHC restrains LHCBA Multan president from working

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court Multan Bench on Thursday restrained Sher Zaman Qureshi from acting as the president of Lahore High Court Bar Association Multan (LHCBA-Multan).

According to orders released by the LHC official sources, Justice Amin-ud-Din Khan passed these orders while admitting a petition filed by Shahbaz Ali Khan Gormani against the LHCBA-Multan president for regular hearing.

The bench heard the matter at the LHC Multan Bench. During the hearing, the petitioner submitted that Sher Zaman could not act as the president of LHCBA Multan as his licence was suspended by the LHC full bench on September 21.

He said that under the LHCBA Multan rules, if the Supreme Court, high courts or a bar suspended or cancelled the licence of any member, his membership was suspended or cancelled automatically.

He contended that the membership of Sher Zaman was automatically suspended on September 21 and he could not claim to be the president of the LHCBA Multan and could not act as such.

To a court query, an additional advocate general presented a copy of letter by the Punjab Bar Council (PbBC) vice-chairman and submitted that the PbBC Executive Committee neither received any application by Sher Zaman for restoration of his licence nor the matter was put before the committee ever.

At this, the court observed that the points raised through the petition needed consideration and admitted the petition for regular hearing, while restraining Sher Zaman from acting as LHCBA-Multan president.

The court also sought reply from respondents – including Sher Zaman –till November 22 and appointed Malik Muhammad Rafique Goreja and Syed Muhammad Ali Gillani as amicus curiae.

It is pertinent to mention here that a LHC larger bench had issued non-bailable arrest warrants for Sher Zaman after he repeatedly refused to join the contempt of court proceedings, initiated against him for allegedly misbehaving with Justice Qasim Khan of the LHC Multan bench.

However, Sher Zaman had approached the Supreme Court against THE LHC orders, wherein the apex court had sought report on the Multan bench incident from the LHC registrar and observed that it was hoped that the LHC would not proceed further and wait for its order in the case. Meanwhile, the LHCBA Multan in a meeting expressed solidarity with Sher Zaman and passed a resolution in his favour.