PAKISTANI LAWYERS

[Silly_Billy]

Re: PAKISTANI LAWYERS

@Haris Zuberi

Here’s what Ardeshir Cowasjee said of the lawyers this Sunday 22 Apr in his Dawn column;
http://www.paklinks.com/gs/showthread.php?p=4966250#post4966250

"…
On to a current and most serious matter. Our men of law and letters are for once united in that they all want law and order and justice to prevail. But should they demean Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, and all the good he has done and stood for, by parading him around the country like a political ‘mascot’? Should he be stood up to face politically motivated crowds? Should he not be allowed to be at peace while he faces the presidential reference? Our legal fraternity is mistaken if it thinks that its parades and strikes and ‘token hunger strikes’ (whatever nonsense they may be) will make one iota of difference to Acting Chief Justice Baghwandas’s sense of duty, his adherence to the law, or to his conscience.

How many of our marchers and strikers have been to jail and seen how the under-trial prisoners, many of them innocent, suffer? Dates are fixed for the hearing of their cases in the district and high courts usually after long delays. Many detainees have to appear in person. They are ordered to be ready at 0600 hours to wait for a van to take them to court, a van that too often does not arrive.

Now, should the diligent lawyers not spare a thought for all those detainees who may have been summoned to appear in court on the many days they have been on strike and intend to on further strike – for instance, on April 24? Their cases have been postponed and will further be postponed for up to three weeks or to a date in office which may take months to arrive and, if innocent, they have remained and will remain in jail for these indeterminate periods. Is it fair? Should all those lawyers involved in their clients’ cases, and paid to appear for them, not resolved to duly appear on the dates fixed and mitigate the distress caused by our prevalent laws and procedures.

A ‘core’ issue pertains to the mock ‘hunger strikes’, referred to as ‘token hunger strikes’. What do the participants do? Do they announce that they have just finished eating a hearty lunch and intend to plonk themselves down on a pavement, and support the cause by not eating or drinking until their mid-afternoon biscuit and cup of tea is due? They should grow up.
…"

Cowasajee states what most people in Pakistan are now actually saying about our wukla biradri. :k:

The CJ’s reputation is being trashed everytime he attends any of these rallies, which end up being dominated by JI, PML (Nawaz), PTI and other opposition parties, and the lawyers behaving like animals - beating up their colleagues and journalists etc.

Why is the CJ not speaking out against the violent behaviour of his supporters?

Why has he not publicly told the politcal party activists to keep away from his rallies totally? That is what his job is i.e. to remain above the political fray.

By not speaking out against the violent thuggish lawyers in his own ranks and the political opposition rallies, he has completely compromised his neutrality, and he has in fact politicised the judiciary more than anyone has so far.