SHC suspends PBC’s decision to appoint focal person

The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Wednesday suspended the Pakistan Bar Council’s (PBC) majority members’ decision to appoint a spokesperson to represent the council’s point of view instead of its vice chairman.

The interim order came on a lawsuit filed by PBC vice chairman Dr Farogh Naseem, Supreme Court Bar Association President Rasheed A Razvi and other bar councils representatives that had challenged the decision taken by 13 members of the PBC.

The PBC members on its November 5 meeting had expressed no confidence on its elected vice chairman and resolved that PBC member Kamran Murtaza would be its focal person, representing the bar council on different legal issues.

Plaintiffs’ counsel Salahuddin Ahmed and Haider Imam Rizvi submitted that the post of the vice-chairman of the PBC was constitutional, therefore, convening a meeting where the no-confidence resolution was passed against Barrister Farogh Naseem was illegal.

They submitted that the PBC’ rules did not contain a provision for the appointment of a focal person, and termed PBC members’ meeting and its decision unlawful. They further maintained that the matter regarding PBC’s affairs was already sub-judice - before the Supreme Court.

The plaintiff observed that despite a restraining order the defendants’ members illegally convened a meeting. They sought injunction against the decision; SHC’s single bench headed by Justice Mohammad Shafi Siddiqui suspended the impugned decision of PBC members and issued notices to PBC, deputy attorney general and others for November 14.