LAHORE  - A general house meeting of the Lahore High Court Bar Association (LHCBA) on Monday allowed its elected leadership to challenge 21st constitutional amendment before the Supreme Court.
Mian Ahmad Chachar, bar’s secretary, presented a resolution before the house that was passed unanimously. The secretary said that the convention held last week had also rejected the military courts. He said but the cabinet wanted support of the house for challenging military courts in the SC.
He also announced that a convention of lawyer’s representatives across the country would be held on Jan 28 on the matter too.
JI concerns
Saying the 21st amendment in constitution suspended fundamental rights and linked terrorism with religion, religious seminaries and mosques, the Jamaat-e-Islami Shoora on Monday expressed concern over the passage of the amendment.
The Shoora, however, slated ‘every form of terrorism and affirmed support for all lawful and constitutional steps to curb the menace.’
A resolution adopted by the JI central consultative body meeting under the chairmanship of the JI chief Sirajul Haq declared that even if the military courts had become indispensable and were made a part of the constitution through a majority vote in the parliament, this move remained in conflict with the basic spirit of the constitution and democracy, and was also tantamount to distrust in the present entire judicial system by the state and the parliament.   
Besides, it said the setting of the military courts could even make the highly prestigious national institution of the armed forces controversial.   
The resolution condemned the bracketing of terrorism with religion and stated in clear  terms that terrorism had no religion. It said that any act of terrorism, whether in the name of religion, ethnicity, regionalism or any other bias, was simply terrorism and it was the responsibility of the government to uproot it.  
Accordingly, the Shoora once again stressed upon the government to wipe out terrorism all over the country including that going on in Karachi and Balochistan.
The JI declared the year 2015 as the year of peace and announced its full support to the government to end terrorism and for the restoration of peace.
The Shoora noted that in the prevailing situation, the country required an exemplary political stability and broad national consensus. However, it said, the government was constantly delaying the steps required in this direction. It said that the formation of the Judicial Commission was being delayed.
It stressed upon the government to ensure the formation of the Judicial Commission so that the 2013 elections could be audited fully and all forms of rigging could be brought before the nation.  
The JI Shoora also said that it was high time that drastic and revolutionary changes were made in the electoral system to eliminate chances of rigging. It said the JI had proposed elections on the basis of proportionate representation and it would strive to seek the support of other parties on this.
The Shoora reaffirmed its resolve to build Pakistan into a truly Islamic, prosperous welfare state.
Meanwhile, JI chief Sirajul Haq has criticised government for not taking ‘practical step’ to provide security to the people of Pakistan.
“The government is forcing the administration of educational institutions to adopt security measures but it is not ready to take any practical step for the security of the masses and it has not shown any seriousness in curbing lawlessness.”
Addressing a Seerat Conference at Mansoora, he said that the murderers and dacoits were roaming about freely due to which the masses were having sleepless nights but the rulers seemed to be totally unconcerned.
Sirajul Haq sad that those blaming Islam and the madrissahs for terrorism had thrust the worst type of terrorism over the nation as the country coming into being in the name of Islam did not have the just Islamic system even for a single day.
The nation had spent 35 years under martial law and the rest of the period under the rule of feudal lords and capitalists and there had not been peace any time during this entire period.
Others who addressed the conference included Maulana Amjad Khan, Hafiz Ibtesam Elahi Zaheer, Maulana Abdul Ma’lik, Hafiz Idrees and Dr Merajul Huda.