SCBA supports 26th Amendment

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) President Mian Muhammad Rauf Atta has reiterated his support to the 26th Constitutional Amendment, saying it has become the law of the land, and to which everyone should adhere.

In a statement issued here on Saturday, he said the recent statement issued by the representatives of All Pakistan Lawyers Action Committee is filled with contradictions and diverges from constitutional provisions.

He said that the 26th Amendment itself has strengthened the trichotomy of powers, forming the foundation of a robust federation. It has affirmed the supremacy of parliament while curtailing judicial activism, he said and fully endorsed the formation of the constitutional bench, its function and proceedings of the last meeting of the Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP).

Mian Atta said that it was disheartening to note that the so-called committee is politically motivated and continues to question the competence of constitutional benches, JCP, and parliament as a whole.

He said that according to the SCBAP Rules 1989, the president serves as the chief executive of the association adding that majority of SCBAP members have exercised their democratic right to vote, electing the president and gave him the cabinet to lead. He said that the sole authority to launch any campaign rests solely with us, the elected representatives. We also hold our former presidents in high regard; however, we cannot overlook their misconceptions, Mian Atta said adding that if they have any concerns, they should approach the appropriate forums, such as SCBAP or the PBC, to discuss their viewpoints in a constructive manner.

Instead, they have chosen to create divisions within the legal fraternity and their political masters could have raised their voices in the National Assembly or the Senate, he said.