ISLAMABAD:
Political parties are once again expected to play a decisive role in the election of the Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) vice-chairman, scheduled for tomorrow (Tuesday), as competing groups of lawyers jostle for a slim majority in the 23-member body.
The first meeting of the newly elected members of the PBC will be held on Tuesday, during which the vice-chairman of the apex lawyer regulatory body will be elected.
The position is hotly contested amid intense behind-the-scenes negotiations, with the two main groups hoping for support from political parties whose votes could tip the scales.
The Attorney General of Pakistan (AGP) is the ex-officio chairman of the PBC. The total number of members of the PBC stands at 23.
Among the elected PBC members for the next five years are Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar, Ahsan Bhoon, PTI general secretary Salman Akram Raja, Farooq H. Naek, lawyer Salahuddin Ahmed, Abid Zuberi, Maqsood Buttar, Masood Chishti, Syed Qalbi Hasan and others.
Lawyer policy within the CLCC is divided into two main groups. One of them is the Professional Group, which strongly opposes the 26th and 27th constitutional amendments. PTI Senator Hamid Khan is known as the leader of this group.
The other faction is the Independent Group, widely seen as the pro-government section of lawyers, which has held the top lawyer regulatory body for almost 15 years. Currently, Ahsan Bhoon is leading this group.
The members of the Independent Group claim to have obtained 15 seats out of the 23 candidates selected. “We will decide today (Monday) on the candidate for the post of vice president,” said a senior Independent Group official.
On the other hand, the Professional Group continues its efforts to obtain a majority in the PBC elections. The group currently has eight votes out of 23.
The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) has three votes, while the Awami National Party (ANP) and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (Fazl) have one vote each.
These five votes are considered crucial for both groups in their bid to secure a majority in the PBC. Traditionally, the legal wing of the PPP is associated with the Independent Group.
We learn that the Professional Group is offering key positions in the PBC to the PPP, the ANP and the JUI-F in an attempt to consolidate their support.
However, senior lawyers believe that “powerful circles” take a keen interest in bar politics and have supported the Independent Group in almost every bar election in recent years. Therefore, for the sake of continuity in the affairs of the PBC, efforts should be made to ensure a majority for the Independent Group within the PBC.
It was also observed that the legal wings of the PPP and ANP remained associated with the Independent Group for the last 15 years.
At the same time, the leaders of the Independent Group should be forced to welcome members of these parties into key positions.
Senior lawyers are wondering why members belonging to Balochistan province have been repeatedly deprived of the post of vice president or chairman of the executive committee.
Over the past 25 years, only three
Members from Balochistan have been elected vice-chairmen of the apex body regulating lawyers.
Senior lawyers are urging both groups of lawyers to recognize that the PBC is a federal bar and that each province should be appropriately represented in key positions.
Similarly, concerns have been raised that members belonging to opposition groups play little or no role in the functioning of the Commission, despite it being the apex regulatory body of the legal community.
If a group of lawyers obtained a majority of even a single vote among the 23 members of the PBC, that group would effectively take complete control of the affairs of the bar.
Lawyers also question that if opposition senators are duly represented on Senate standing committees, the same principle should apply to PBC committees.
The importance of the PBC can be gauged from the fact that the incumbent law minister, the PTI general secretary and a prominent PPP jurist all contested the election.
The PBC is the apex statutory body representing the legal profession in Pakistan. Established under the Legal Practitioners and Bar Councils Act 1973, it is responsible for regulating the conduct of lawyers registered with the High Courts and the Supreme Court.
The PBC establishes professional standards, develops rules of legal ethics and guarantees the independence of the judiciary and the legal fraternity. It also plays a key role in legal education by prescribing standards for law schools and overseeing the recognition of law degrees in coordination with provincial bar councils.
Beyond its regulatory functions, the PBC often acts as the collective voice of the nation’s lawyers on domestic legal and constitutional issues. He has consistently taken positions on issues concerning the rule of law, constitutional supremacy and judicial independence, particularly during periods of political instability.
Through resolutions, declarations and engagements with state institutions, the council seeks to uphold democratic standards and protect the rights of the legal community and the general public.
