The Lawyers Action Committee staged a protest outside the Supreme Court Karachi Registry against the independence of the judiciary, the Practice and Procedure Ordinance, the establishment of a federal court, and the notification for Justice Mansoor Ali Shah as Chief Justice of Pakistan.
Prominent lawyers, including Advocate Muhammad Ashraf Samoo, Advocate ZahooruddinMehsud, Advocate ManzoorBhutta, Advocate Khalid Mahmood, Advocate AhsanAdil Sheikh, Advocate NazirullahMehsud, and Advocate SarfarazMirza, participated in the march from Sindh High Court to the Supreme Court Karachi Registry. The rally was supported by PTI Women’s President Serena Khan and other local leaders, who joined the lawyers in denouncing the proposed constitutional amendments as an attack on the Supreme Court. Speaking to the media, Advocate Muhammad Ashraf Samoo criticized the creation of a political court masquerading as a constitutional court, stating,
“We, as lawyers, reject any such court that undermines the significance of the Supreme Court.” He called for an immediate notification for Justice Mansoor Ali Shah as the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, emphasizing that any attempt to include junior or retired judges in committees for political decisions would not be accepted. Advocate ZahooruddinMehsud, President of the Justice Lawyers Forum Karachi, expressed similar sentiments, condemning the actions of the current government and stating, “We do not recognize the illegal government formed under the guise of Form 47, and we categorically reject their decisions.”
He labeled the attempts to establish a federal constitutional court as unconstitutional and a conspiracy to weaken the Supreme Court. Mehsud also pointed out that previous attempts to extend the term of Chief Justice QaziFaiz Isa through constitutional amendments had failed, and the current government’s actions to create a federal court would be seen as interference in the Supreme Court’s jurisdiction.
Addressing Justice Faiz Isa, Mehsud urged him to resign for the sake of the nation and allow Justice Mansoor Ali Shah the opportunity to assume the role of Chief Justice.
