Federal Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar has said matters regarding constitutional interpretation have been entrusted to the Federal Constitutional Court (FCC) and the 27th Amendment has clarified which court is to hear specific cases. He said funds amounting to Rs20 million will soon be released for the ongoing bar projects. He expressed these views while addressing lawyers at the Lahore High Court Bar Association (Rawalpindi Bench) on Thursday. Bar President Saeed Yousuf Khan also addressed the gathering.
Noting that Pakistan is a federation, he asked why the Federal Constitutional Court - featuring equal representation from every province - had not been established earlier. Under such a system, no single province would provide four judges; instead, there would be three from each province and one from Islamabad. He pointed out that matters concerning constitutional interpretation were entrusted to the Constitutional Court. The 27th Amendment clearly delineates which courts are to hear specific types of cases, so there is no need to further complicate this debate.
He emphasized that lawyers should never become tools for any political party; all lawyers must unite to safeguard the dignity and interests of the bar. Issues regarding the redesigning of Kutchehri Chowk were resolved amicably, and 20 million rupees would be transferred to the High Court Bar's account next week to expedite the completion of ongoing projects. He said he would prioritise candidates from Rawalpindi over those from Lahore for High Court judgeship, remarking that his bond with the legal community transcended government or ministerial roles.
He emphasized his commitment to keeping the bar free from politics and noted that they stood united to support one another, urging senior lawyers to pave the way for newcomers. He said the grant now stood at Rs800 million, for which accounts were maintained; the Punjab government also doubled the grant for provincial bar associations to one billion rupees. Saeed Yousuf asserted that every litigant - whether a former prime minister or an ordinary prisoner awaiting trial - deserved relief in accordance with the law, both inside and outside the prison system.