ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) rejected amendments in Section 11EEEE of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997, wherein, the law enforcement agencies and the armed forces are allowed to detain suspects for up to three months.
A joint meeting of Rules Committee of the Council was held on Wednesday in the chair of PBC Vice-Chairman Chaudhary Tahir Nasrullah Warraich, and Vice-Chairmen of the Provincial/ Islamabad Bar Councils, in the Supreme Court Building, Islamabad.
The meeting, unanimously, passed resolutions; It said every individual has right and opportunity of due process of law and fair trial as enshrined in Articles 4 and 10A of the Constitution. They termed it as draconian law and demanded its withdrawal forthwith as the legal fraternity ever struggled for the Rule of Law, supremacy of Constitution in the Country and to guard fundamental rights provided in the Constitution of Islamic Republic of Pakistan.”
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The council said; “The Registration of frivolous FIR’s against Advocates in Punjab, under Anti-Terrorism Act or under any other charge was strongly condemned and demanded from I.G. Punjab Police to withdraw all illegal, unlawful, false and frivolous FIR’s registered against Advocates forthwith, otherwise, the legal fraternity will oppose it at every level.”
“They have expressed their grief and sorrow on the loss of precious lives and in terms of public livestock, dwellings, property and infrastructure in the aftermath of the devastating torrential rains, cloud burst, causing flash floods hitting/ affecting almost every nook and corner of the country especially Dir, Buner and other parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan and Karachi. The lawyers especially belonging to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have also been directly affected badly.
They demanded from the Federal & Provincial Governments to provide relief to the people of affected areas, without any delay.”
“They have also strongly condemned the unlawful, illegal and unwarranted raid conducted by personnel of the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) accompanied by men in civilian dresses at the residence of Justice Zahoor Ahmed Shahwani (retd), advocate Supreme Court from Quetta.
During the course of this unlawful raid, the security officials trespassed inside his residence without any search warrant and violated the sanctity & privacy of “veil and the four walls”.
The meeting stated that the legal fraternity cannot turn a blind eye on such like illegal acts of the police and law enforcement agencies against family members of the judges and senior advocates.
The resolution said; “The amendments in Legal Practitioners and Bar Councils Act, 1973, proposed by the Members of National Assembly belonging to PTI is hereby condemned unanimously and demanded to Government not to pass this Bill, since it is against the mandate of the Bar Councils Act.”
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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