Lahore — Pakistan’s legal community warned the country is in its ‘‘darkest hour,’’ accusing authorities of coordinated assaults on democracy, constitutional rights and the rule of law.
The All Pakistan Lawyers’ Convention (APLC), convened by the Lahore High Court Bar Association and the Lahore Bar Association at the Javed Iqbal Auditorium of the Lahore High Court, gathered senior lawyers and political figures to denounce recent constitutional changes. Attendees included Senator Hamid Khan, Sardar Latif Khan Khosa, former Supreme Court Bar president Ali Ahmad Kurd, Lahore High Court Bar President Asif Niswaana and others.
The convention unanimously rejected the 26th and 27th Constitutional Amendments and the proposed Federal Constitutional Court, saying those measures would weaken judicial independence and erode the Constitution. Lawyers aligned with the PTI criticised what they described as the establishment’s growing control over political and civilian institutions.
Advocate Salman Akram Raja warned of mounting social and economic collapse, citing rising unemployment, a failing education system and a broken healthcare sector. He called the situation an unprecedented crisis across political, economic and social fronts and said the government had fostered an environment where ‘‘truth has no space,’’ likening the nation to ‘‘a prison under the illusion of development,’’ according to The Express Tribune.
Former Lahore High Court Bar vice president Rabia Bajwa said the country is increasingly divided between ‘‘the people and the institutions,’’ accusing the GHQ and the Senate of deciding who is labeled a traitor or celebrated as a hero. Veteran lawyer Ali Ahmad Kurd and Senator Hamid Khan criticised military involvement in politics. Khan called a recent generals’ press conference ‘‘deeply shameful’’ and said the armed forces had overstepped their constitutional bounds, The Express Tribune reported.
This report was sourced from a syndicated feed and published as received; The Tribune assumes no responsibility for the accuracy or completeness of the syndicated content.
