Who will hold the lawyers accountable?

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Web Desk
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December 16, 2019

Zaigham Khan argues that the executive must bring the PIC attack case to a logical conclusion

The movement for the restoration of dismissed judges back in 2007 has turned out to be be a struggle for the tribal supremacy of the legal profession at the cost of aspiration of the people for rule of law in Pakistan, writes development professional Zaigham Khan in The News.

In the opinion piece, Zaigham minced no words in condemning the horrific attack on the Punjab Institute of Cardiology by lawyers last week that resulted in deaths and injuries for several patients. He believes that lawyers have started acting like a tribe.

He opines that the behavior of the black coats can perhaps be explained by the assumption that they are paid to maintain a mechanism of social control meant to perpetuate the entrenched power structure. "They play this soul-crushing game every day," Zaigham writes.

Since the police in Pakistan are, ineffective to say the least, Khan writes that the lawyers, who deal with them on a regular basis, are well aware that what happens when one goes to them. Coupled with a long judicial process, out-of-court settlements are popular, he says.

In this whole scenario, Khan questions whether lawyers have become like a mafia, accountable to no one. He argues that the Legal Practitioners and Bar Councils Act. 1973 must be amended to determine a new mechanism of holding lawyers accountable.

Khan further said that it is the test of the executive to bring the PIC attack case to a logical conclusion.



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