The All-Pakistan Lawyers Convention passed on Monday a resolution against “judicial package, constitutional court”, which the government plans to bring this month.

The convention, titled ‘Save the Judiciary, Constitution, and Pakistan,’ was held at the Judicial Complex in G-11/4, Islamabad. Representatives from the Islamabad High Court Bar, Islamabad District Bar, and the Islamabad Bar Council approved the resolution.

Lawyers from the Islamabad Bar Council, Islamabad High Court Bar Association, and the District Bar Association participated in the event. Key figures in attendance included IHCBA Vice Chairman Adil Aziz Qazi, former IBC Vice Chairman Raja Aleem Abbasi, and IHCBA President Raista Ali Azad.

The gathering underscored the legal community’s concerns regarding recent judicial reforms and called for the protection of the judiciary and constitutional integrity in Pakistan.

In his address at the lawyers’ convention, Hamid Khan stated that any member of Parliament who supports the judicial package would be considered a “traitor to the Constitution,” advocating for treason charges under Article 6 against those who back it.

He expressed his disappointment in judges who, in his view, are “unworthy” of their titles. “I fought against Imran Khan for this cause, but I did not anticipate that this judge would attempt to destroy the country’s judiciary. I did not know he would support floor crossing, especially when he had just 15 days left before retirement,” Khan said.

Khan expressed gratitude to the convention organisers and the presidents and representatives of all bar councils present. He congratulated the IHCBA and the district bar for hosting the nationwide convention, calling it the “most significant of the three major conventions held to date.”

He emphasised that past movements had liberated the judiciary, and it was the third movement aimed at saving the judiciary, the Constitution, and the country. “People tell me that lawyers are divided, but I say that lawyers are united for the supremacy of the constitution. In every movement, we are one party, and that party is the black coat,” he said.

The lawyer added that their fight was not for an individual but for the institution itself. He raised concerns about proposals to create an alternative court, stating that “political engineering” has been taking place in the country for 77 years while the role of generals in nation-building has been “negligible.” He reminded attendants that Pakistan’s founder, Quaid-i-Azam, and his associates were lawyers.

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Former senator Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar highlighted the unity present among lawyers, asserting that they would not allow any constitutional amendments to take place. He reflected on the political turmoil the country has faced over the past 10 to 15 years, particularly the challenges faced in the early 2000s.

Khokhar noted that a treason case was brought against former president Pervez Musharraf, indicating that the establishment has understood the need to capture the country’s system from within. He warned that the “judiciary may be pressured” to make decisions aligned with the establishment’s interests, calling this their greatest challenge.

The convention underscored the legal community’s determination to protect the judiciary and maintain the integrity of the constitutional framework amidst ongoing political tensions.