A renewed movement among lawyers has emerged in response to the proposed 26th Constitutional Amendment, which senior lawyer Hamid Khan claims seeks to undermine the judiciary. Addressing the media, Khan emphasized that the ruling coalition’s efforts to amend the Constitution would be met with robust resistance from the legal community.
Khan asserted, “Lawyers are a shield against every conspiracy targeting the judiciary. We will not allow anyone to strike at the judiciary.” He condemned the potential establishment of a separate Federal Constitutional Court and vowed that the 200,000 lawyers nationwide would oppose any such initiatives.
The proposed amendment package seeks significant alterations to the legal framework, including the creation of a new constitutional court and an extension of the Chief Justice of Pakistan’s tenure.
Khan drew parallels to the historic 2007 Lawyers’ Movement, which led to the ousting of former military ruler General Pervez Musharraf. He announced plans for weekly protests, stating, “We will observe a day of protest every Thursday,” and encouraged district-level demonstrations against the proposed changes.
A lawyers’ convention was held in Peshawar, with further gatherings planned in Islamabad and Rawalpindi. Khan made it clear that this movement is independent of any political party affiliations, focusing solely on protecting the Constitution and judicial integrity.
The lawyers’ community is mobilizing to ensure their voices are heard and to safeguard the judiciary from perceived threats.
