ISLAMABAD:
Political leaders, human rights representatives, and journalists at a roundtable conference in Islamabad on Thursday announced the launch of nationwide movement against the 26th Constitutional Amendment, and formed a committee to campaign for the movement.
The participants of the roundtable described the 26th Amendment as a serious threat to the independence of the judiciary and the Constitution. Senior lawyer Hamid Khan told the conference that a national convention will be held in Lahore on October 11 to mobilise support.
At the event, a committee was formed under the chairmanship of senior lawyer Barrister Aitzaz Ahsan to lead the campaign for the nationwide lawyers movement against the 26th Amendment.
Other members of the committee include Hamid Khan, Sardar Latif Khosa, Ali Ahmed Kurd, Qazi Anwar, Salahuddin Ahmed, Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar, Justice (retd) Shahid Jamil, Munir A Malik and Shaista Khosa.
Addressing the roundtable, Iman Mazari warned that justice had disappeared from courts and parliament, therefore, struggle must now continue through a public movement. “Otherwise, this will be our collective demise,” she said.
Mazari also strongly protested restrictions imposed in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) that prevented lawyers and journalists from recording videos, as well as the denial of court access to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) lawyers.
Senator Hamid Khan called the 26th Amendment an attempt to undermine the judiciary’s independence. “The public mandate was stolen, election results were not respected – this is a mockery of democracy,” he said.
Justice (retd) Shahid Jamil warned that the rule of law no longer existed in the country and urged lawyers to stand against the 26th Amendment, saying, “If they do not, the very existence of the judiciary will be at risk.”
Barrister Ahsan emphasised that the history of lawyers’ movements was full of sacrifices and that the country once again needed such a struggle. Barrister Ali Zafar criticised the government for using the judiciary as political tool. “The Constitution has been thrown into the trash bin.”
Salman Akram Raja described the past two and a half years as “the worst years of oppression and tyranny,” highlighting trials of ordinary citizens in military courts as violations of fundamental rights.
PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan declared that the 26th Amendment posed a major obstacle to an independent judiciary and pledged the party’s support to the lawyers’ movement.
At the conclusion of the conference, Khosa presented a resolution summarising the mission of the movement: “Save the country, protect the motherland, and safeguard journalism.”
