'Lawyer movement' announced against constitutional amendments

ISLAMABAD: Former President of the Supreme Court Bar, Hamid Khan, has announced to initiate ‘lawyer movement’ on September 19 against the proposed constitutional amendments, ARY News reported on Monday.

Speaking outside the Supreme Court, Hamid Khan opposed the decision to establish constitutional court, saying, “If you want to build a constitutional court, you will have to go over the corpses of lawyers first.”

Khan criticized the proposed constitutional package, stating that now is neither the time nor the right environment for such amendments. He argued that introducing constitutional amendments amounts to the “funeral of the constitution.”

The former president of the Supreme Court Bar stated that lawyers have already rejected the proposed amendments, emphasizing, “No other constitutional court is necessary when the Supreme Court exists.”

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During the media talk, he announced the Lawyer movement which is set to begin from September 19 at Lahore High Court, with lawyers opposing the creation of a ‘new court’.

Khan further emphasized that the Supreme Court is the only constitutional court and that no parallel court should be established.

He rejected the idea of changing the procedure for appointing the Chief Justice under the proposed amendments and called for the immediate release of a notification appointing Justice Mansoor Ali Shah as the Chief Justice.

Calling on all lawyers to take action, Khan urged them to raise their voices against the proposed amendments, vowing that lawyers would resist any effort to form a constitutional court.

He said they would “throw the constitutional package in the trash” and highlighted the strength of the legal profession, referring to it as the “most powerful black coat” in the country.