The convention was held under the chairmanship of Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) Vice-Chairman Syed Amjad Shah in Multan .
Representatives of all federal and provincial, District and Tehsilbar associations, participated in the event.demanded the government to withdraw the references against the superior court’s judges.
The convention also asked the Supreme Judicial Council to dismiss the references as these were filed on malafide intention against honest judges.
Three resolutions were also passed in the convention. In the first resolution, the lawyers demanded the Supreme Judicial Council to make public all the proceedings in the references as no one knew what decisions have been taken.
The lawyers’ bodies said even a written press release was not issued about the proceedings.
In the second resolution, the lawyers demanded there should be interpretation and limitation of suo moto powers of the Supreme Court under Article 184 (3) of Constitution.
In the third resolution, the lawyers demanded that after 18th Amendment the old method for the appointment of superior courts judges should be restored and all the provisions for judges appointment under Article 175 A of Constitution should be restored.
The lawyers passed a resolution for a free press and against the censorship and linked country’s development with the freedom of the press.
The convention was held at the High Court Bar building. Lawyers’ leaders from all over the country participated in it. Vice-Chairman of Pakistan Bar Council Amjad Shah, Chairman Executive Committee Pakistan Bar Council Muhammad Idrees, Peshawar High Court Bar Association President Abdul Latif Afridi, senior lawyer Qazi Muhammad Anwar, former president of Supreme Court Bar Association , Yasin Azad addressed the lawyers’ convention.
Amjad Shah said all institutions should work within their constitutional ambit. He said that sanctions have been imposed on the media. People would get authentic information when there is a freedom of the press, he added.
LHC Multan Bar Association President Malik Haider Usman said the references against judges were filed on malafide intention and that was why legal fraternity across the country was against the references.
He said that lawyers’ grand alliance was not against the government as it was against the references made on malafide intention. He said the convention was the start of the lawyers’ movement and next convention would be held in Quetta.
He said that if the lawyers had taken a stand on the removal of former judge Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui, today the government would have thought about the consequences for bringing such references against the honest judges.
In its declaration, the convention demanded of the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) to dismiss the presidential references against Justice Qazi Faez Isa and Justice KK Agha, maintaining that they were filed with mala fide intent.lawyers demanded to give due representation to bar council in Supreme Judicial council.
The lawyers demanded that the SJC must decide the complaints filed earlier against other judges before initiating proceedings in the matter related to the two mentioned judges.
The declaration shows that bench-bar tensions are growing on various issues especially the presidential references.
The resolution also demanded parliament to amend Article 209 of the Constitution to ensure trial of judges in open court, and that the sacked judges be given the right of appeals against their removal. The convention was also addressed by Nazim Khan President of District Bar, Mian Abbas Ahmed Ex-Vice Chairman of Pakistan Bar Council, The convention was also addressed by Mian Arshad Waqas Chhajra,General Secretary High Court Bar,Former Vice Chairmen of Pakistan Bar council, Mian Abbas Ahmed, M.Yasin Azad, Muhammad Akhtar ,Azam Tarar, Abid Saqi, Haroon Rashid, Khalid JavedAhmed Shehzad, Shahnawaz Ismail Gujjar, Aurangzeb Hassan, Qazi Rafiuddin, Mian Abdul Sattar, Javed Saleem ,Javed Afzal, Khanzada Khan, Raaib Khan Taimoor Shah, Haqnawaz, Javed Hashmi,Muhammad Irfan Wyne, Talat Hussain, Hafiz Abdul Rehman Ansari,Zain-al-abideen, Amer Saleem, Muhammad Nazim Khan President District Bar Multan, Afzal Bashir Ansari,Kanwar Muhammad Younas, Qaiser Butt, Syed Shahid Hussain, Sajid Aezdi Sanpal, Haq Nawaz Kanhon, Kashmira Niaz Awan, Ali Sher Bappi, Masroor Haider Awan, Hasnain Iqbal,Tahir Jamal, Malik Khaliqdad,Shehzad Bari, Yasir Khosa, Mehr Ijaz Ahmed, Tayyab Kaleem, Kaisar Daha, Umar Hayat Maitla, AslamKhan Baloch, Rana Tufail Noon, Saeed Ahmed Khan, Mazhar Hussain, SardarArif Khan, Abdullah Bhutta, Anwar-ul-Haq, Ahmed Tanvir and Muhammad Azhar.
