Karachi [Pakistan], October 23 : Senior lawyers announced protest against the 26th Constitutional Amendment that allows the Pakistan government to control the judiciary during a press conference in Karachi on Wednesday.
The program for the protest against the amendment will be announced shortly, as per Dawn.
Former president of the SCBA, Munir Malik, said that the current government is already a controlled democracy and the amendment will make the judicial body a controlled judiciary.
Malik, while addressing the Karachi Press Club, stated, "There is a controlled democracy in the country, and now this amendment will be marked as a milestone for controlling the judiciary as well. Now, there will be an establishment-controlled judiciary."
According to Dawn, Malik further added that constitutional questions were not only restricted to civil and criminal cases but also to all cases pending before the Supreme Court.
Lawyers and the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) are in fear and so are demanding the withdrawal of the 26th Constitutional Amendment.
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has also expressed fear over the amendment and stated that although the final legislation was 'more balanced' than the initial one proposed, it did not address the concerns over the dilution of independence of the judiciary. The process behind the establishment of constitutional benches questions credibility and possible political affiliation.
According to HRCP, the amendment will give a dangerous advantage to the Pakistani government as the special parliamentary committee will have the power to nominate the Chief Justice of Pakistan.
Earlier, the Pakistani government approved the 26th Constitutional Amendment, giving more power to legislators. According to the amendment, the parliamentary committee will select the Chief Justice and will have a fixed term of three years. The amendment came days before the retirement of Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa.