Daily Times

The Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) on Saturday announced a countrywide strike on June 14 to protest against the reference filed against Justice Qazi Faez Isa.

Addressing a press conference outside the Supreme Court of Pakistan building in Islamabad, the PBC members demanded resignations of the law minister and the attorney general of Pakistan, stating that the May 28 reference against the top court judge was based on ‘mala fide’ intentions.

Expressing the fraternity’s intentions of staging a peaceful sit-in, PBC vice chairman Amjad Shah urged the government to immediately withdraw the reference. “The purpose of the protest is to guard the essence of the Constitution and preserve the supremacy of law,” he said.

The lawyers also questioned “tainted record” of the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) as an authority to hear references against senior judges.

“Several references remain questionable and the apex court findings in regards to those have not been made public,” said Shah. Stating de-merits, Shah said that the reference had a weak legal footing. He added that the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), being the first authority to investigate the matter, did not serve a show-cause notice to the judges, thereby committing a violation. “The reference has no merit and is based on ill-intentions,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Karachi Bar Association has cancelled the memberships of Law Minister Farogh Naseem Attorney General Anwar Mansoor Khan.