ISLAMABAD — A senior PPP Senator and member of Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) Latif Khosa has said that Aitzaz Ahsan would not be allowed by the lawyer community to take part in the coming by-elections.
Talking to reporters after a meeting of the Pakistan Bar Council, Senator Khosa said hundreds of lawyers were stopped from contesting elections due to his (Aitzaz Ahsan’s) decision of boycotting the general elections 2008. Senator Khosa said the council took serious note of the decision of Aitzaz Ahsan for taking part in the by-elections and issued notice to him for explaining the matter.
He said a person who boycotted the general elections despite requests by colleagues not to do so has no moral authority to take part in the by-elections.
Aitzaz has applied for PPP ticket to contest by-election from the Rawalpindi seat where PML-N leader Makhdoom Javed Hashmi defeated Shaikh Rashid Ahmed. Aitzaz says he has been assured support by PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif but insisted that he would contest only if the PPP awarded him the ticket.
Aitzaz withdrew from elections in December last year in response to a decision by lawyers’ movement to boycott the elections. But he maintains that personally he had opposed the boycott but submitted to the collective decision of the movement.
Khosa said Aitzaz Ahsan should tender an apology to the lawyers community for depriving hundreds of lawyers from contesting elections and even the PPP lost a number of seats due to the boycott decision. “We will put this matter on the agenda of the PBC at its next meeting,” he said.
In an oblique reference to Aitzaz’s campaign for restoration of judges, Khosa said parliament as the sovereign forum would decide the issue and ‘no one can dictate parliament’.
Khosa’s claim about notice to Aitzaz was challenged by many PBC members. Law Minister Farooq Naek said the meeting only elected a vice-chairman and did not discuss any other issue.
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