Lahore [Pakistan], December 8 (ANI): Amid rising concerns over constitutional integrity and human rights in Pakistan, two major developments unfolded in Lahore over the weekend. A large lawyers’ convention rejected recent “defaced” constitutional amendments and demanded judicial independence, while a separate public interest petition urged the Lahore High Court to halt alleged fake police encounters in Punjab, according to Dawn.
The convention—jointly organised by the Lahore High Court Bar Association (LHCBA) and the Lahore Bar Association (LBA)—adopted a strongly worded resolution opposing the 26th and 27th constitutional amendments. Led by the Hamid Khan professional group, the resolution stated that the amendments had “destroyed the institution of the judiciary in Pakistan” and condemned the proposed Federal Constitutional Court as “unconstitutional” and a “murder” of judicial independence.
The lawyers also criticised the December 5 press conference by the ISPR DG, calling it a “shameful attempt” to drag the armed forces into politics and accusing it of targeting national leaders, including Imran Khan. The resolution demanded the immediate release of political detainees and the recovery of missing persons, stating that their continued detention violated fundamental rights such as life, liberty, equality, fair trial, and due process. Names cited included Imran Khan, Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Maharang Baloch, and Yasmin Rashid.
Further, the convention called for future elections of bar councils—including the Supreme Court Bar Association—to be conducted through biometric verification to prevent alleged rigging. It criticised provincial bar council members accused of “selling their votes” ahead of the Pakistan Bar Council election. The gathering also rejected the Punjab Protection of Property Ordinance 2025 as unconstitutional. Speakers at the event included Senator Hamid Khan, PTI secretary general Salman Akram Raja, Ali Ahmad Kurd, Haseeb Jamali, and other prominent figures.
Meanwhile, a joint public interest petition filed in the Lahore High Court by lawyers Mian Dawood, Pervaiz Elahi, Rai Imran Khan, and Nadeem Abbas Dogar sought immediate intervention to stop alleged fake police encounters across Punjab. The petition claims that since the creation of the Crime Control Department (CCD) in January 2025, nearly 1,100 people have been killed in encounters reported by national media and human rights groups. It accuses CCD officials of creating fear by asserting authority to kill individuals based on past FIRs.
Highlighting the recent killing of young lawyer Zeeshan Dhaddi in Vehari as a “shameful example,” the petition argues that extrajudicial killings have become an unlawful substitute for due process, despite higher courts repeatedly declaring fake encounters illegal.
The petition also criticised the non-implementation of the Custodial Death (Prevention and Punishment) Act 2022, which mandates the FIA to investigate all custodial deaths within 30 days. Despite previous Lahore High Court directives to the federal and Punjab governments, the petitioners say no FIA inquiries have taken place.
The petition asks the court to order an immediate halt to all police encounters in Punjab and direct the FIA to investigate every encounter conducted since the CCD’s inception. Respondents named in the case include the Punjab government, Punjab police, CCD, FIA, and the federal government. (ANI)
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