Grant to PBC may hit at lawyers movement

The last meeting of the PBC held in the city to finalise the budget, also witnessed opposition from some members on the acceptance of the grant at this stage when the government was not fully behind their demand for the judges restoration in accordance with Murree Declaration. At the meeting with the PBC delegation, the law minister also gave copy of the Constitutional package for perusal of the members and to elicit their opinion. According to Member of the Council, Hafiz Abdul Rahman Ansari, the law minister at the meeting wanted the delegation to give him a prompt reply to the package which showed in a way, the ministry wanted the Bar to concede to the Constitutional amendment  mode for the judges restoration. However, he said, the major concern involved about the acceptance of the package that simultaneously with the judges restoration it accepted the November 3 PCO and the state of Emergency to provide a constitutional cover to these Army Chief actions when the same were patently illegal and unconstitutional. Ansari, who along with others had opposed the acceptance of the grant, says the Bar should have accepted the money after the government has conceded to the restoration of judges through executive order. He said permitting package for judges restoration, would go to legitimise General Musharraf action of November 3 thereby firming up his stay in power and making his ouster a difficult task. Hafiz Ansari claims that a ‘thumping majority’ was opposed to the constitutional package. Another member of the Council, Ramzan Ch does not consider the grant any favour to the body in lieu of support for the package but something already allocated in the budget for the Bar, which was not acted up for the last 10 years.

He says the grant came to the body after a member, Muhammad Kazim Khan, was authorised by its executive committee to contact the government for the grant as the Bar had run out of funds even to pay the employees and meet other urgent needs. He said a section was wrongly construing the grant which was, by no means, attached with the acceptance of the Constitutional package. Ramzan said the Bar was firmed on the stand that judges must be restored through the executive order. He said lawyers’ movement would go on until judges are restored as per their demand.