Islamabad: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader and former president of the Supreme Court Bar Hamid Khan has announced the launch of a legal movement against the proposed constitutional amendments. The march will begin on September 19. Speaking to the media outside the Supreme Court, Hamid Khan criticized the efforts to amend the constitution. He called the proposed changes a mockery of the constitution and condemned the potential creation of a federal constitutional court. Khan said lawyers would reject the amendment before it was formally tabled and vowed to lead a movement similar to that against General Pervez Musharraf. He emphasized that another constitutional court cannot be established during the existence of the Supreme Court. He also asserted that if a constitutional court were to be established, it would have to be over the “dead bodies” of lawyers. The movement will begin at the Lahore High Court on September 19, he added. Khan has firmly stated that the Supreme Court is the only constitutional court and that parallel courts will not be tolerated. In addition, Khan opposed any changes in the procedure for the appointment of the Chief Justice and demanded the immediate announcement of Justice Mansoor Ali Shah as the Chief Justice. He warned that he would recognize only Justice Mansoor Ali Shah and no one else as the Chief Justice on October 26. Calling on lawyers from across the country to join the movement, Khan urged them to reject the proposed constitutional package and throw it in the “dustbin”.
