Daily Times

ISLAMABAD/LAHORE: The Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) and Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) have decided to not attend the farewell for Chief Justice of Pakistan Jawwad S Khawaja.

PBC Vice Chairman Azam Nazir Tarrar and SCBA President Fazal-e-Haq Abbasi on Tuesday said that both the lawyers’ organisations would not be hoisting the traditional dinner for the chief justice. They said they had hoped that Khawaja would “shed his biases” while occupying the office of the chief justice of Pakistan. They said he continued to “indignify” members of the legal profession and even senior members and office-bearers of the bar were not spared his “rudeness”.

SCBA unanimously passed a resolution on Tuesday boycotting the reference of Chief Justice Jawwad S Khawaja. The judgement suspending the license of Barrister Syed Ali Zafar for one year had led to a serious reaction from the legal fraternity throughout the country and united SCBA to condemn it, a SCBA press release said on Tuesday. For the first time in its history has SCBA taken such action. After the strong resolutions of Pakistan Bar Council and the resolutions of Rawalpindi Bar Association, Islamabad High Court Bar Association, the Lahore High Court Bar Association (LHCBA) also held an emergency meeting and discussed the suspension of the licence of senior member Syed Ali Zafar and decided that the hasty decision by Chief Justice Jawwad S Khawaja, one day before his retirement, is reflective of his attitude with the members of the bar. LHCBA has announced a protest against the decision.