Daily Times

The apex regulatory body of lawyers, Pakistan Bar Council (PBC), on Wednesday, urged the legal fraternity to observe a full-day strike on March 28 to protest the recently-introduced policy, under which session judges are to avoid considering an application seeking directive to register criminal case in police station if the applicant failed to avail police forum for remedy.

While chairing the National Judicial Policy Making Committee (NJPMC) on March 11, Chief Justice of Pakistan, Justice Sardar Asif Saeed Khan Khosa, had directed this to all session judges since a Police Complaint Redressal Mechanism had been made operational at district-level across the country as per recommendations of the Police Reforms Committee. No session judge will entertain applications under Section 22-A and 22-B of the Criminal Procedure Code unless the Superintendent of Police (SP), Complaints, had failed to launch First Information Report (FIR) in the concerned Police Station, he added.

In a press release issued on Wednesday, PBC vice chairman, Syed Amjad Shah expressed resentment over the NJPMC decision and noted that all Pakistan lawyers’ representatives held a convention at Lahore under the aegis of Lahore High Court Bar Association on March 26 against the decision of the committee.

Shah asked the lawyers to protest against the decision of the NJPMC in respect of Sections 22A and 22B of the Criminal Procedure Code and to demand its immediate reversal.

“The lawyers as such will also hold protest meetings in their respective Bar Rooms against the decision of the NJPMC and stress for acceptance of their demand for reversal of the said decision and restoration of previous practice regarding registration of FIR’s,” he concluded.