PBC rejects demand for apex court judge's removal.

ISLAMABAD -- The Pakistan Bar Council the mother body that regulates the affairs of the legal fraternity on Monday rejected a demand by the Punjab Bar Council (PbBC) for immediate removal of a Supreme Court judge, Justice Qazi Faez Isa, and described its resolution as uncalled for, unnecessary that transgresses the independence of judiciary.

An emergency meeting of the PBC's executive committee also resolved that Justice Isa was an upright and competent judge of the apex court, who always discharged judicial functions without any fear and favour.

The current campaign against Justice Isa started after a strongly worded judgement the judge authored in which directions were issued to the Ministry of Defence, respective chiefs of the Army, the Navy and the Air Force to penalise personnel under their command found to have violated their oath.

Likewise, the federal government was also asked to monitor those advocating hate, extremism and terrorism and prosecute the perpetrators in accordance with the law. In addition adverse observations were also made against a number of government departments for causing inconvenience to the residents against the backdrop of a 20-day-long dharna which paralysed life in Islamabad and Rawalpindi.

Pakistan Bar Council describes PbBC's resolution as uncalled for, unnecessary that transgresses independence of judiciary

Last Saturday, the PbBC's executive committee carried a resolution demanding removal of Justice Isa for what it believed allegedly ridiculing the armed forces in the judgement he authored in the case related to the Faizabad dharna (sit-in) November 2017 by the Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP).

The PbBC resolution had also regretted that the judgement in the Faizabad dharna case had allegedly mutilated towering principles of the law.

Subsequently on Sunday, four bodies of lawyers in Sindh in a joint resolution condemned PbBC demand and expressed solidarity with Justice Isa.

On Monday, a meeting of the PBC's executive committee which was presided over by its chairman Hafiz Mohammad Idris Shaikh observed that the comments relating to the judgement authored by Justice Isa was uncalled for. The meeting was attended by PBC vice chairman Syed Amjad Shah, Mohammad Ahsan Bhoon, Azam Nazeer Tarar, Mohammad Yousaf Laghari and Syed Qalbe Hassan.

The legal fraternity in Pakistan will never...