The Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) on Friday dissolved its Journalists’ Defence Committee after the cases against media workers declined.
“Journalists Defence Committee constituted by the Pakistan Bar Council vide intimation/letters dated 29-09-2020 and 09-10-2020, is hereby dissolved by the vice-chairman, Pakistan Bar Council with immediate effect,” said a notification issued by the PBC.
Usman Warraich, the coordinator of the committee, told Geo.tv, that the body was developed to “provide free legal aid to journalists who were facing persecution”.
“In the last two months or so, the Pakistan Bar Council noticed that the work [cases] of legal aid being referred to the Journalists’ Defence Committee were down to none. Since the committee had become redundant, it was decided to dissolve it,” said Warraich.
He added that the committee can be revived if the need arises.
The committee was formed in September 2020 by the then PBC vice-chairman Abid Saqi. It consisted of lawyers who were willing to provide free legal assistance and services to journalists or their elected bodies in the courts of law, at Islamabad/Rawalpindi, for protecting their rights of expression.
The committee comprises several lawyers, including Col (retd) Inam-ur-Raheem, Umer Gillani, Barrister Jahangir Jadoon, Advocate Haider Imtiaz, Baber Hayat Samoor, Sajid Tanoli, and Muhammad Usman.
