Lawyers caravan head for Capital amid slogans
Friday, June 13, 2008
By Sajid Bashir
LAHORE
LAWYERS’ long march caravans comprising political workers, civil society and members of different organisations left Lahore for Islamabad on Thursday night amidst loud anti-Musharraf and anti-Zardari sloganeering.
They vowed to restore the sacked judges of the Supreme Court by laying a siege to the Parliament House and presidency.
The march, which began from Karachi on Monday gradually swelled in size and strength after passing through different cities including Sukkur, Multan, Bahawalpur, Sahiwal and Lahore.
It will culminate in a huge rally in Rawalpindi and a long sit-in outside the Parliament House Islamabad on Friday to press for restoration of the deposed judges of the superior courts to the pre-November 3, 2007 position, and independence of the judiciary as enshrined in the 1973 Constitution.
A lawyers’ caravan set out from Lahore High Court on Thursday evening and marched towards Islamabad after holding a public meeting at Azadi Chowk under the historic Minar-e-Pakistan.
The original participants in the rally included members of the legal fraternity, activists of Jamaat-e-Islami, PML-N, Khaksar Tehrik, Tehrik-e-Insaf, Sindh Taraqi Pasand Party, members of the civil society and Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP).
They held black flags along with their parties and organisations emblems.
Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) President Chaudhry Aitzaz Ahsan, Hamid Khan, Ali Ahmed Kurd, Munir A Malik and other senior leaders led the caravan.
Senior politicians including Imran Khan of Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf, Jamaat-e-Islami Punjab Ameer Liaquat Baloch, representatives of different trade unions and civil society organisations saw the lawyers off at the Lahore High Court.
Participants of the rally on the occasion chanted full-throated slogans such as, “Go Musharraf go”, “America ka ju yaar hai ghadar ha ghadar hai”, “Musharraf Zardari bhai bhai Pakistan ki Shamat Aayi”, “Adlia ki Bahali tuk jang rahay gi jang rahay gi”, in favour of restoration of independent judiciary and reinstatement of the deposed judges including the Chief Justice.
The lawyers’ caravan would pass through GT Road making brief stops at main cities and towns like Gujranwala, Gujrat, Kharian, Jhelum and Rawat before reaching Rawalpindi.
A large number of lawyers and political workers would join their colleagues from these cities in shape of processions on its way to Islamabad.
The rally, to be led by Supreme Court Bar Association President Aitzaz Ahsan would then leave for Islamabad on Friday. The Long March will also be joined by the deposed Chief Justice at zero point, Islamabad where he will address the participants.
Convoys from Muzaffarabad, Abbotabad and Peshawar will join the Long March at twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi on Friday before marching towards the Parliament House.
Thousands of lawyers, traders, students, activists of political and religious parties will accord a warm welcome to Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry and the Long March caravan at Islamabad.
Earlier, several political leaders of component parties of APDM including Tehrik Insaf Chairman Imran Khan, JI leader Liaquat Baloch, Khaksar Tehrik leader Hameeduddin Mashriqi and Christian leader J Salik addressed the participants in the Long March before seeing them off at Lahore High Court.
Imran Khan, in his peculiar emphatic style, warned the nation that democracy was betraying the judiciary for the sake of controversial (National Reconciliation Ordinance) NRO.
He warned PPP co-Chairperson Asif Zardari against becoming a shield for Gen Musharraf. He cautioned him that if he did not cease his present acts, then today’s ‘Go Musharraf Go’ slogans might change into ‘Go Zardari Go’ slogans tomorrow.
He expressed sorrow that Asif Zardari was acting as slave to Gen Musharraf the way Gen Musharraf had acted one to George Bush.
Imran Khan said that the lawyers movement was a historic and epic movement, which would turn the country into a new Pakistan, which would be free from injustice and cruelty.
He cautioned the nation that increasing the strength of Supreme Court judges from 16 to 29 was part of a conspiracy and if PCO judges were retained in the Supreme Court, it would destroy the whole institution of Judiciary.
Imran asked PML-N leader Mian Nawaz Sharif that after becoming an MNA, he must move the resolution for restoration of judiciary at the earliest to test the sincerity of the parliament with this cause. “It will expose the very sincerity and intentions of the PPP-led government with this issue,” he said. Imran announced that he would welcome the Long March caravan and Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry at Karachi Company in Islamabad and also address the participants there.
LAWYERS’ long march caravans comprising political workers, civil society and members of different organisations left Lahore for Islamabad on Thursday night amidst loud anti-Musharraf and anti-Zardari sloganeering.
They vowed to restore the sacked judges of the Supreme Court by laying a siege to the Parliament House and presidency.
The march, which began from Karachi on Monday gradually swelled in size and strength after passing through different cities including Sukkur, Multan, Bahawalpur, Sahiwal and Lahore.
It will culminate in a huge rally in Rawalpindi and a long sit-in outside the Parliament House Islamabad on Friday to press for restoration of the deposed judges of the superior courts to the pre-November 3, 2007 position, and independence of the judiciary as enshrined in the 1973 Constitution.
A lawyers’ caravan set out from Lahore High Court on Thursday evening and marched towards Islamabad after holding a public meeting at Azadi Chowk under the historic Minar-e-Pakistan.
The original participants in the rally included members of the legal fraternity, activists of Jamaat-e-Islami, PML-N, Khaksar Tehrik, Tehrik-e-Insaf, Sindh Taraqi Pasand Party, members of the civil society and Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP).
They held black flags along with their parties and organisations emblems.
Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) President Chaudhry Aitzaz Ahsan, Hamid Khan, Ali Ahmed Kurd, Munir A Malik and other senior leaders led the caravan.
Senior politicians including Imran Khan of Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf, Jamaat-e-Islami Punjab Ameer Liaquat Baloch, representatives of different trade unions and civil society organisations saw the lawyers off at the Lahore High Court.
Participants of the rally on the occasion chanted full-throated slogans such as, “Go Musharraf go”, “America ka ju yaar hai ghadar ha ghadar hai”, “Musharraf Zardari bhai bhai Pakistan ki Shamat Aayi”, “Adlia ki Bahali tuk jang rahay gi jang rahay gi”, in favour of restoration of independent judiciary and reinstatement of the deposed judges including the Chief Justice.
The lawyers’ caravan would pass through GT Road making brief stops at main cities and towns like Gujranwala, Gujrat, Kharian, Jhelum and Rawat before reaching Rawalpindi.
A large number of lawyers and political workers would join their colleagues from these cities in shape of processions on its way to Islamabad.
The rally, to be led by Supreme Court Bar Association President Aitzaz Ahsan would then leave for Islamabad on Friday. The Long March will also be joined by the deposed Chief Justice at zero point, Islamabad where he will address the participants.
Convoys from Muzaffarabad, Abbotabad and Peshawar will join the Long March at twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi on Friday before marching towards the Parliament House.
Thousands of lawyers, traders, students, activists of political and religious parties will accord a warm welcome to Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry and the Long March caravan at Islamabad.
Earlier, several political leaders of component parties of APDM including Tehrik Insaf Chairman Imran Khan, JI leader Liaquat Baloch, Khaksar Tehrik leader Hameeduddin Mashriqi and Christian leader J Salik addressed the participants in the Long March before seeing them off at Lahore High Court.
Imran Khan, in his peculiar emphatic style, warned the nation that democracy was betraying the judiciary for the sake of controversial (National Reconciliation Ordinance) NRO.
He warned PPP co-Chairperson Asif Zardari against becoming a shield for Gen Musharraf. He cautioned him that if he did not cease his present acts, then today’s ‘Go Musharraf Go’ slogans might change into ‘Go Zardari Go’ slogans tomorrow.
He expressed sorrow that Asif Zardari was acting as slave to Gen Musharraf the way Gen Musharraf had acted one to George Bush.
Imran Khan said that the lawyers movement was a historic and epic movement, which would turn the country into a new Pakistan, which would be free from injustice and cruelty.
He cautioned the nation that increasing the strength of Supreme Court judges from 16 to 29 was part of a conspiracy and if PCO judges were retained in the Supreme Court, it would destroy the whole institution of Judiciary.
Imran asked PML-N leader Mian Nawaz Sharif that after becoming an MNA, he must move the resolution for restoration of judiciary at the earliest to test the sincerity of the parliament with this cause. “It will expose the very sincerity and intentions of the PPP-led government with this issue,” he said. Imran announced that he would welcome the Long March caravan and Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry at Karachi Company in Islamabad and also address the participants there.
No comments:
Post a Comment