KARACHI: In a letter to the Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP), Justice Gulzar Ahmed, the Sindh Bar Council (SBC) on Friday expressed its deep dismay and disgust at a video that suddenly went viral on June 24 where one religious cleric, Mirza, abused and threatened the entire judiciary of Pakistan and, in particular, Justice Qazi Faez Isa.
The lawyers' body stated it had now become necessary to emphasize the seriousness of the matter.
The SBC noted that these are not the ravings of a lunatic or some emotional litigant that can just be ignored. The video is professionally edited, and it is no coincidence that it was released soon after the verdict in Justice Qazi Faez Isa's case, said the SBC. "The intent to malign Mr. Justice Isa is clear. It was meant not only to malign the judges but also to influence their future conduct," the SBC stated, adding that only in a few short hours, the video went viral throughout Pakistan.
The lawyers' body felt that abusing and threatening the judiciary has unfortunately now become the new trend.
During the Faizabad sit-in, videos of TLP leader, Khadim Hussain Rizvi, appeared where he used abusive language in reference to judges of Pakistan, the lawyers' body said.
The SBC said that every single person in the legal fraternity is asking today from where and from whom are people like Rizvi and Mirza getting the confidence and assurance and facilitation to publicly hurl abuse at and make death threats against Supreme Court judges?
"What is the underlying motive and purpose behind such attacks, and do they not deliberately seek to influence, pressurize and keep the judiciary in check?
"If this trend continues, will the judiciary not become a subject of hatred, ridicule and contempt, and will it not end up destroying all public confidence in the judicial system?
"How is it possible to counter the growing perception that it is the internal disunity and inaction of the judiciary itself that has left it vulnerable and unable to properly tackle these and other threats to the independence of judiciary?" asked the Sindh Bar Council.
The SBC said that this is not only the need of the hour but our duty to future generations that the Supreme Court must collectively take visible and meaningful steps to this end and take a stern action against the person who has made this video and the conspirators behind it.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2020
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