KARACHI, Dec 09 (APP): Sindh Chief Minister Justice (retd) Maqbool Baqar on Saturday said we must accept that the bar and the bench are both key stakeholders in the attainment of justice and democracy and the lack of coordination between the two not only affects them but also the entire system, so both should work together for the cause of justice.
This he said while speaking at the annual dinner of the Karachi Bar Association. The programme was attended by Chief Justice Sindh High Court Justice Aqeel Ahmed Abbasi, Amir Saleem President Karachi Bar Association, Mumtaz Ali
Mehdi Vice President, Waqar Alam General Secretary, Sabeeh Mahmood Joint Secretary, and others.
At the outset, the interim CM congratulated Justice Aqeel Ahmed Abbasi on assuming the position of Chief Justice of the Sindh High Court. He hoped that during his tenure [Justice Aqeel Abbasi], both the bar and the bench would work together for the cause of justice and face all challenges together.
Going into nostalgia, Baqar said that his association with the Karachi Bar Association spanned over four decades. “I became a member of the KBA as a young lawyer almost 40 years ago, and this bond remained intact even after I became a judge,” he said and added in 2007, during the emergency, lawyers and the KBA played an integral role in the restoration of democracy and the judiciary and their struggle bore fruit in 2009 when judges were restored.
The CM said that the young lawyers face several challenges, especially due to inflation in recent years. “We will try to find solutions to their problems, I have several ideas, such as offering paid internships or traineeships in the Advocate General’s Office, Law department, or Prosecutor General’s Office.”
Baqar urged all lawyers, especially young ones, to improve their skills and knowledge by reading law journals and recent judgments. He read out a stanza of Robert Frost, “The woods are lovely, dark, and deep. But I have promises to keep and miles to go before I sleep.” This means that you, young lawyers, have to work hard to achieve your culmination.