960409

Bar Council official

rebuffs PM's remarks

against judiciary

RECORDER REPORT

LAHORE: The Chairman of Law Reforms Committee, Pakistan Bar Council, A.K. Malik, has contradicted the statement of Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto that the Judiciary in the past endorsed the acts of every martial law dictator.

"Judiciary was the only institution which resisted what he called the nefarious designs of all the dictators from Ayub to Zia", said Malik while addressing a press conference at his office here on Tuesday.

He urged the people to come forward and counter Executive's efforts to weaken the Judiciary.

Replying to the statement of Benazir, Malik said it was not the judiciary but the politicians who always welcomed martial law and, like her own father, joined the government as ministers.

It was Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto's government which introduced the Fifth constitutional amendment to curtail the powers of Judiciary just to contain the Judges, because they were not following his dictates, alleged Karil Malik. "Bhutto's government always posed a direct threat to the independence of Judiciary", he claimed.

Malik said that Pakistan had become the first country of the world where the Prime Minister - the chief executive of country - after being annoyed with the decision of the Supreme Court was issuing malicious statements against the Judiciary. "She is taking the country to the brink of disaster", Malik claimed.

He urged the Chief Justice of Pakistan to move for the implementation of the decision, and pledged "an unflinching support" from the Bar for the Bench.

The Chairman, Law Reforms Committee of the PBC, dispelled the impression that through the said verdict the Judiciary had assumed the powers of legislation. "Judiciary is not making the law at all but is just performing its duties under the Constitution of Pakistan", Malik clarified.