Colleagues up in arms against SCBA Chief
Staff Report

ISLAMABAD—Eight office bearers of the Supreme Court Bar Association headed by senior vice president Khawaja Naveed Ahmed on Saturdaysaid that the President of the SCBA Munir A.Malik was presiding and conductingthe proceedings of the Association in a “most dictatorial and arbitrarymanner” despite his democratic election to the office.
Making the accusation in a signed statement, they said the SCBA headnever took the other office bearers into confidence while making importantdecisions.
“While we appreciate and admire the contributions made individually aswell as collectively by all the office bearers of the SCBA for the restoration of the Chief Justice to his office through untiring efforts, we regret thesolo flight taken by Munir Malik during the entire campaign,” they said.
The signatories to the statement include senior vice-president Khawaja Naveed Ahmed, additional secretary Sardar Muhammad Ghazi and six members of
the executive committee, namely Abdullah Khan Kakar, Parvaiz Tanoli, Rizwan Ahmed Siddiqui, Syed Amanat Ali Bukhari, Haji Muhammad Rafi Saddiqui and Qamar Zaman Qureshi.
They expressed their deepest concern and resentment over the manner in which the affairs of the SCBA were being run by Munir A.Malik.
“We, therefore unanimously resolve that SCBA president Munir A.Malik hasmiserably failed to live up to the expectations of SCBA and we do not support the call given by him to create political chaos and imbalance in the country which is already going through a turbulent phase in the history of Pakistan.”
They also noted with “great concern” that there had been absolutely no coordination amongst the office bearers, which responsibility squarely lay with the secretary SCBA.
“It is also manifest from the record that meetings on short notices werecalled, with changes of dates, timings and venues so that all the members may not attend the meeting,” they said.
They said that the agenda of the meetings were considered in a haphazard manner and approved or disapproved at the sole whim and discretion of the president who “acted and behaved as a dictator.”
The president of SCAB has once again unilaterally taken a decision to give a call to start “Jail Bharo” movement.”
“It is sheer misuse of the office of the president of the Association,” the statement said.
“We do not subscribe to his view point as it is not for the professionals to indulge in street politics; let the job be taken care of by the politicians,” the SCBA office holders said.
Lauding the campaign launched by the lawyer community, they said that the campaign for the restoration of Chief Justice to his office was undoubtedly laudable and the object had successfully been achieved.
“However, we are supposed to take care of the interest of the litigants who have engaged us to look after their interests.”
Referring the speech of the Chief Justice, they said, “The learned CJ of Pakistan has rightly reminded the lawyers while addressing the representatives of Bar Associations that the civil society played an important role for the cause of the judiciary and now the judiciary should pay back by providing them better services.”
They said the CJ had underlined that better services can be provided by quick disposal of cases and that “we have to double our efforts in this regard.”
“Therefore any activity contrary to the professional conduct ashighlighted by the Honourable CJ would be against the interest of the public in general and bench and bar in particular,” the statement said.