Judges Case: SC Reserves Decision on Objection

ISLAMABAD, News Trends: Supreme Court Friday reserved its decision over the Dr Abdul Basit Advocate’s objection over the bench in PCO Judges contempt case and adjourned the hearing till Monday.

Dr. Abdul Basit during the hearing said that his clients have objection over inclusion of Justice Sair Ali, Justice M.A. Shahid Siddiqui and Justice Tariq Pervez in the bench.

The court reserved its decision on the bench.

The counsel said that the contempt proceedings could not be held against the superior judiciary judges. He further said that the civil and military officials also committed contempt of the Supreme Court verdict of Nov. 03, 2007; legal action should also be taken against them.

Blackcoats observe Black Day

Lawyers community is observing 3 November as black day to denounce the act of Musharaf regime to impose emergency in the country.
The Bar Councils and Bar Associations would convene protest meetings in their respective bar rooms and unfurl black flags on Bar buildings as sign of protest.
Earlier, the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) and Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) here on Tuesday called for observing of November 3 as Black Day to condemn former president Pervez Musharrafs steps of imposition of emergency, promulgation of Provisional Constitutional Order of 2007 and sending judges of the superior judiciary to home.
The bars are asked to hoist black flags and hold meetings to denounce acts that subverted the fundamental rights of the people and enforced a rule of gun in 2007. In her message, Asma Jahangir, the newly elected president of Supreme Court Bar Association, said that the heroic movement for the restoration of the rule of law be recalled and the bars are called upon to take a fresh look for forwarding the objective of this struggle in cohesive and constructive manner.

Blackcoats observe Black Day

Lawyers community is observing 3 November as black day to denounce the act of Musharaf regime to impose emergency in the country.
The Bar Councils and Bar Associations would convene protest meetings in their respective bar rooms and unfurl black flags on Bar buildings as sign of protest.
Earlier, the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) and Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) here on Tuesday called for observing of November 3 as Black Day to condemn former president Pervez Musharrafs steps of imposition of emergency, promulgation of Provisional Constitutional Order of 2007 and sending judges of the superior judiciary to home.
The bars are asked to hoist black flags and hold meetings to denounce acts that subverted the fundamental rights of the people and enforced a rule of gun in 2007. In her message, Asma Jahangir, the newly elected president of Supreme Court Bar Association, said that the heroic movement for the restoration of the rule of law be recalled and the bars are called upon to take a fresh look for forwarding the objective of this struggle in cohesive and constructive manner.

Supreme Court orders parliament to review judicial reform

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Supreme Court on Thursday ordered parliament to review a controversial new procedure of appointing judges that was introduced in a constitutional reform package earlier this year.

The court, which has been locked in a standoff with the government on a separate issue of corruption charges, issued its ruling after legal challenges were lodged against isolated reforms in the largely popular package.

“We would like to refer to the parliament for reconsideration, the issue of appointment process of judges to the superior courts,” said the judgement read out in English by chief justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry.

Legal experts argue that appointing judges through a commission headed by the chief justice, but with nominations approved by lawmakers, infringes the independence of the judiciary.

“To enable the parliament to proceed and

NRO case: SC rejects Govts plea for more time, change of counsel

The Supreme Court has rejected the government’s plea to change its lawyer and more time in the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) case, Dunya News reported on Monday.
A three-member bench of the apex court was hearing a government plea for change of counsel in the case.
The government, however, decided to file a review petition against the Superior Courts rejection of change of counsel in the case, sources revealed.
The apex court further ordered the government to withdraw the notification of Barrister Kamal Azfar’s appointment as Adviser to the Prime Minister. During the hearing, the notification of Azfar’s appointment as Adviser was produced in the court. Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry also directed that Azfar’s appointment notification should be withdrawn.
On Saturday, the governments counsel Raja Abdul Ghafoor, advocate-on-record, filed an application in the SC seeking more time in the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) review petition to engage another counsel in place of Barrister Kamal Azfar, who was appointed the Adviser to the Prime Minister.
Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry remarked that it is not good to humiliate the superior court to such an extent, adding that the government seemed to be joking with the SC.
During hearing the petitioner Advocate Salman Akram Raja requested to the court to cancel the notification regarding the appointment of Kamal Azfars as advisor to the PM, pleading that he was supposed to assist the court in the NRO case.
The CJ observed that the government, if serious, should retract Azfars appointment notification so to enable him to represent the former in NRO review petition. Justice Khalilur Rehman Ramday maintained that the government is employing delaying tactics to get the hearing postponed.
First the government related the NRO implementation case with review petition and now it is not letting the court to hear even the review plea, the CJP lamented. Hearing of all the important cases including NRO implementation, its review plea and others will be resumed on Oct 13, the CJ said.
The court rejected the government request and ordered Barrister Kamal Azfar to appear before the court on behalf of the government in the hearing of the case on October 13th.
This was the third time that the government had sought more time to appoint another counsel on behalf of the federation.At the last hearing on September 27, the court had accepted the governments request for putting off the hearing on implementation of its judgment on the NRO and fixed the review petition for October 13.

Govt moves show its weakness: Justice (r) Wajihuddin
Justice (r) Wajihuddin, while talking to Dunya News, said that the governments moves are aimed at getting the case postponed.
He said that the defendants case is weak and that was why they are resorting to such delaying tactics. He said that the government is left with no option then to yield to SC orders.

Only 10 NRO Cases Against PPP Leaders: Rehman Mali

ISLAMABAD: Federal Interior Minister Rehman Malik claimed on Sunday that only 10 out of more than eight thousand cases withdrawn under the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) were against the PPP leaders.

“A total of 8442 cases were withdrawn under the NRO and there were only 10 cases in which the accused belonged to Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP),” Malik told the journalists after attending a march aimed at promoting sectarian harmony during Muharram.

The minister said that the government respects the superior judiciary and will implement its verdicts in letter and spirit.

To a query he said that Pakistan is fighting the terror war for its own sake and will achieve success in its bid to root out militancy from its soil.

Chief Justice of Pakistan call meeting on Aug 8

ISLAMABAD Pakistan : Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, Chief Justice of Pakistan and Chairman, Supreme Judicial Council has convened the meeting of Supreme Judicial Council on 8.8.2009 in the Supreme Court building, Islamabad.

The Chief Justice will chair the meeting to be attended by the other members namely Mr. Justice Javed Iqbal, Mr. Justice Sardar Muhammad Raza Khan, Judges of Supreme Court, Mr. Justice Tariq Pervez, Chief Justice, Peshawar High Court, Mr. Justice Khawaja Muhammad Sharif, Chief Justice, Lahore High Court and Dr. Faqir Hussain, Registrar, Supreme Court and Secretary of Supreme Judicial Council.

On the agenda is the addition to the Code of Conduct for Judges of Supreme Court and High Courts a new clause as per 14-Member Bench of Supreme Court order passed on 31.7.2009.

The order says “In the Code of Conduct prescribed for the Judges of the Superior Courts in terms of Article 209(8) of the Constitution, a new clause shall be added commanding that no such Judge shall, hereinafter, offer any support in whatever manner to any un-constitutional functionary who acquires power otherwise than through the modes envisaged by the Constitution and that any violation of the said clause would be deemed to be misconduct in terms of the said Article 209 of the Constitution.”