SC interpretation of Article 63-A questionable: Murad

karachi: Parliamentarians, prime minister, chief ministers, ministers and judges take oath to protect, defend and preserve the country's Constitution but the way the Supreme Court interpreted the Article 63-A of the Constitution was questionable.

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah said this on Saturday as he addressed the oath-taking ceremony of the newly elected body of the Karachi Bar Association (KBA) at the Jinnah Hall of the City Courts.

He said he had taken the oath to protect, defend and preserve the Constitution twice — once as a member of the legislature and then as the chief minister.

"Similarly, judges also take oath for the purpose. But the Supreme Court's interpretation of Article 63-A of the Constitution [that deals with the disqualification of legislators on the grounds of defection] has not been accepted by anyone," he maintained, lamenting that, “the review filed against the verdict had not been taken up since last year."

The CM was of the view that every citizen had to follow the Constitution but the parliament, executive and judges had a more severe duty in this regard as they were bound to protect, defend and preserve it.

He assured the legal fraternity that the provincial government would resolve their issues on a priority basis.

Taking a jibe at the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf over the May 9 violence, he asked the bar members to protect their Jinnah Hall. “People associated with a party have started attacking buildings named after the father of the nation, Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah," he said.

The chief minister's adviser on the law, Murtaza Wahab, said in his address that the Karachi bar was the first bar where he started his law practice.

He added that the CM had approved a Rs110 million grant for the health insurance of lawyers.

KBA President Amir Saleem thanked the chief minister for the provincial government's initiative regarding health insurance and requested him to resolve the parking issue lawyers had been facing for a long time.

He said the Lawyers Welfare and Protection Bill 2023 was a gift to the legal fraternity and asked the government to also give them a gift of land for a housing scheme.

Saleem said the KBA had offered its honorary membership to the chief minister and he would be the first honorary member of the association.

Earlier, the CM administered oath to the newly elected body of the KBA. The office bearers who took oath included Saleem, Vice President Mumtaz Mehdi, General Secretary Waqar Alam Abbasi, Joint Secretary Sabeeh Mahmood, Treasurer Hashim Thebo, librarian Asif Korejo and 11 members of the managing committee.