LAHORE: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader and Senator Hamid Khan has expressed discontent over the appointment of the Chief Justice, stating that his chosen Chief Justice is Justice Mansoor Ali Shah.
The remarks were made during lawyers convention held at the Lahore High Court Bar. The convention was organized under the theme “Impact of the 26th Amendment on the Judiciary”.
He also accused certain individuals within the Supreme Court of siding with the establishment.
Several prominent legal figures attended the event, including Senator Hamid Khan, Lahore High Court Bar President Asad Manzoor Butt, and Lahore Bar President Mubashar Rehman. Former High Court Bar Presidents Ahmed Owais, Shafqat Chauhan, and Ishtiaq A Khan, along with former Vice President Rabbiya Bajwa and other legal experts from across the country, also participated.
Addressing the convention, PTI leader Hamid Khan declared that the lawyers’ movement against the 26th Amendment had commenced and would ultimately overturn the amendment.
He emphasized that their struggle was gaining momentum, and legal organizations had filed petitions against the amendment, demanding that a full bench of 16 judges hear the case. He criticized the Supreme Court, asserting that certain individuals within the judiciary were supporting the establishment.
“The Chief Justice’s acceptance of the position has greatly disappointed us. For us, Justice Mansoor Ali Shah is the rightful Chief Justice,” he said. He also vowed to resist any attempts to fill the Supreme Court with politically motivated appointments.
Hamid Khan further argued that the 26th Amendment was passed without proper parliamentary awareness.
“This is not a parliament; it is merely a numbers game. Even the Prime Minister and the Minister of Law were unaware of the amendment’s details. This is a government formed through Form 47,” he remarked, referring to alleged electoral irregularities.
He accused Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa of enabling horse-trading and defended the decision under Article 63-A, claiming it was entirely justified. He also revealed that on the day of the amendment’s passage, a senator had been brought in while undergoing dialysis, and another senator’s son had allegedly been abducted to force her to vote.
PTI’s legal representative asserted that the amendment was unconstitutional and that the current government was merely a puppet administration.
“Everyone knows we have been defeated. Negotiations with thieves are simply not possible,” he stated.
Meanwhile, President of Insaf Lawyers, Ishtiaq A. Khan, also addressed the convention, accusing a certain group of holding bar councils hostage and appointing judges of their choice to establish control over the judiciary. He called for judges to take a stand against the unconstitutional amendment.
He further stated that lawyers would continue their movement until the illegitimate amendment was repealed.
“We demand that the pre-26th Amendment full court hear this case,” he concluded. The convention marked a strong stance by the legal fraternity against the 26th Amendment, signaling further legal and political battles ahead.
