Keeping in view the crippling economic crisis faced by the country, the Pakistan Bar Council has decided to hold a grand dialogue with all political parties participating -- the date for which will be announced soon.
Addressing a news conference at the Supreme Court building, PBC Vice Chairman Haroon-ur-Rashid, accompanied by Executive Committee Chairman Hassan Raza Pasha, noted that the economic situation of the country was deteriorating at an alarming rate.
He stressed the need for all political parties to sign a fresh charter of the economy.
Rashid added that the PBC would soon invite all political stakeholders for a grand dialogue on the matter.
Speaking on the occasion, Pasha said the PBC had decided to hold the grand dialogue taking stock of the political and economic crises faced by the country.
“It has become imperative that all political parties sit together to jointly address these issues,” he added.
Talking about other issues, Pasha said everyone had the right to freedom of speech but that did not mean it should be exploited.
“We don’t have any political agenda. If you have to criticise somebody, ensure that you do so by choosing the correct words,” he added.
Responding to a query, he stressed the need for considering other players, other than parties, as non-political.
“A democratic country should be run by democratic institutions,” he added.
Pasha further said the PBC had met with the chief justice of Pakistan and raised the issue of judicial appointments on the basis of seniority.
He added that the council had asked the CJP to appoint two judges to the apex court.
Pasha pointed out that the CJP held a different opinion on the elevation of judges to the superior judiciary.
Commenting on the subject of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), Pasha noted that successive governments had been using the anti-graft body for their own motives, adding that former military ruler Gen (retd) Pervez Musharraf had been protecting “his people” from accountability.
The PBC official said nobody should be arrested on the charges of sedition merely for the sake of taking political advantage.
“It is for the nation to decide who is a traitor or the country’s well-wisher,” he added.
Pasha further said the applicability of Section 124-A of the Pakistan Penal Code or the sedition law should take place in a very transparent manner.
Speaking on the arrest of PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry, he said the PBC had reservations over the manner in which he was produced before the court with his head covered with a cloth.
Pasha observed that for several months, the PBC was noting that it was becoming distant from the media.
“It’s necessary for the rule of law that we [the bar and media] must work together,” he said.
The PBC vice chairman also congratulated Tayyab Baloch on being elected as the president of the Press Association of Supreme Court.
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