Access to justice: District bars threaten to disrupt elections

The decision was taken during a lawyers’ convention chaired by Faisalabad bar association president Mian Javaid Iqbal here.

Iqbal said the lawyers would not let returning officers or assistant returning officers receive nomination papers for provincial and national elections.

He said the potential candidates would be stopped to enter the offices of the returning officers, most of them locked at district court buildings.

He said the returning officers too would not be allowed to hold court for the purpose.

“The campaign for LHC divisional benches has been on for three decades,” said Iqbal.

He said, “Professional fees are the lawyers’ only source of income.

By observing a strike, we are not taking any new cases. This is a significant sacrifice.” City Police Officer (CPO) Bilal Siddique Kamyana told The Express Tribune that as appointees of the Election Commission of Pakistan, the returning officers had the powers to prosecute any person who broke the law or tried to sabotage the election process.

He said, “If we receive such complaints from a returning officer, we will not hesitate to take action against the offenders.”

On March 18, the governor had reportedly asked for comments from the LHC chief justice and the Finance Department on a proposal sent by the provincial cabinet for setting up the benches.

Lawyers from the five divisions have asked the LHC chief justice to approve the new benches. The Faisalabad division lawyers have been on strike for over a month in support of the demand.

The LHCBA had held two general house meetings last week and rejected the cabinet’s decision, calling it a move to dent the lawyers’ unity. It also announced it would take up the matter with superior judiciary.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 22^nd, 2013.