Quote: Lawyers locked courtroom of a civil judge after forcing her and the staff out when she refused to accommodate a lawyer on Thursday. Civil judge Farzana Bashir insisted on hearing a case while the lawyer sought adjournment. The judge and the lawyer exchanged hot words and the latter reported the matter to the DBA’s executive body. Later, a large number of lawyers besieged the court and raised slogans against the judge, forced the staff to leave the room and locked it.
More and more commentators are questioning the thuggish and violent tactics of the lawyers, especially those part of the CJ’s coterie.
Disturbing developments
Ikramullah
I wish to start this column by solemnly affirming that I have always believed in the independence of the judiciary as laid down in the constitution of Pakistan without any ambiguity. I still do, with all my heart. During the last two months since the surge for the independence of the judiciary has turned into almost a frenzy, many people have asked me that when everyone in the nation has agreed in principle on the basic issue, what is this ongoing agitation by a part of the judiciary, namely the members of the Bar. Maybe the people raising such questions are confused and are only seeking clarification for their satisfaction. Do they not have the democratic right to ask questions when in doubt? Should the others, who are agitating on this issue, get angry and beat up the other members of the Bar for their only sin of holding a different opinion on the issue. The confused part of the population asks a very simple question to which I have no answer. **“Do the agitating members of the Bar have no confidence in the 13 learned members’ full Bench of the apex court to do justice to the petition filed before them by the Honourable Chief Justice?” These so-called confused people further asked whether those agitating against the Reference, wish to decide the issue on the streets, by the so-called peoples’ court or maybe through a media trial, rather than the formal constitutionally constituted full Bench of the learned Supreme Court? **A new dimension has been introduced in this strange medium of seeking justice on the roads from the groups of politically motivated spectators of the rallies of political parties, hoisting anti-government banners intermingled with colourful flags - this whole colourful crowed is led by whom? No one else, to my bewilderment, than the Honourable Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Pakistan. The CJP’s lawyers declare that Justice Chaudhry does not call anyone to join his motorcade but the political party in the opposition do so on their own because of the heroic fight Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry is putting up for the independence of the Judiciary. They further state as a proof that the CJP has never participated in any political activity, attended a political gathering or made a slightest political Reference in his purely constitutional and legal speeches.
I, for one, believe in the CJP’s senior council because these are all honourable men. I believe these honourable men of the Bench and Bar if they say that the seminar held in the Supreme Court Building on 26 May was totally non political and that no political speech was made by anyone nor any slogan raised which could be described as character assassination of the President of Pakistan or the armed forces of Pakistan. The matter is before a large Bench of the Supreme Court and the President of Pakistan has repeatedly declared that the government would accept and honour whatever verdict is given by the apex court on the various petitions before it. Many people asked me why does not the learned Bar of the Supreme Court make a similar declaration of trust and confidence in the verdict of the better half of the judiciary namely the highest Bench of Justice in Pakistan. As a result of what happened in Karachi 12 May and its fallout, the judicial crisis is deepening and the changes of bridging the gulf are vanishing. An incident the other day, in a Sargodha Court is alarming where a lady judge had to escape from the court through a backdoor, to take refuge in the adjoining court of the Sessions Judge, because the lawyers’ community was unhappy with the proceedings of a certain case. The protesting lawyers forced the court employees out of the court and carried out a big procession against the Judge asserting that their agitation would continue till their demands were met. This episode is an alarming development indicating that the members of the Bar wish to run the judiciary in their own way and according to their own strange interpretation of the independence of the judiciary. If this trend is allowed to grow, may God protect the judiciary and may God help this nation out of its present crisis.
[quote]
"Do the agitating members of the Bar have no confidence in the 13 learned members' full Bench of the apex court to do justice to the petition filed before them by the Honourable Chief Justice?" These so-called confused people further asked whether those agitating against the Reference, wish to decide the issue on the streets, by the so-called peoples' court or maybe through a media trial, rather than the formal constitutionally constituted full Bench of the learned Supreme Court?
[/quote]
