Friday, August 29, 2008
By Wajih Ahmad Sheikh and Sajid Bashir
LAHORE: Lawyers infused a fresh spirit in the movement for the restoration of independent judiciary here on Thursday by staging two-hour sit-ins across the country.
Demanding the PPP government stop dividing the judiciary by reinstating selected judges, the lawyers’ community called for restoring all the independent judges headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry.
In the provincial metropolis, the lawyers mainly paid two sit-ins: on The Mall in front of the Punjab Assembly and at PMG Chowk, the Lower Mall. The sit-ins caused severe traffic mess at least for two hours. The lawyers also staged sit-ins outside the Cantt and the Model Town courts.
The sit-ins were organised on the call of the Lawyers National Coordination Council after holding weekly protest rallies.
After attending the general house meetings of the Lahore High Court Bar Association and the Lahore Bar Association, the lawyers of the respective bars came out on roads and staged two-hour sit-in at the Punjab Assembly Chowk and PMG Chowk respectively.
Lawyers of the LHCBA were led by its president Anwar Kamal and president SCBA Aitzaz Ahsan.
Activists of different political parties and civil society organizations also joined the lawyersí rallies and sit-ins. However, thin participation of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz activists disappointed the lawyers who were anticipating that the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz would join them with full force after their break up with the PPP.
It was observed that there was not a single MPA or MNA of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz in the lawyers rally contrary to the previous routine when more than two member assemblies had been marching with them.
However, activists of Pakhtoonkhawa Milli Awami Party, the Jamat-e-Islami, Tehrik-e-Khaksar, Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf and the civil society activists joined the lawyers with full strength. Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) chairperson Asma Jahangir and Bushra Aitzaz also joined the sit-in. The protestors chanted slogans for the en bloc restoration of the deposed judges. They also chanted slogans against PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari and the present government.
Aitzaz tried to stop the charged lawyers from targeting the PPP in their slogans but failed to divert their target. He was of the view that it would not be fair to single out any political party. The lawyers also chanted slogans against the judges who had taken fresh oaths to get estored.
At the Punjab Assembly Chowk, the sit-in venue, LHCBA had installed a tent but Aitzaz asked the lawyers to spend the scheduled time under naked sun to make their protest effective. Some lawyers took shelter from the sun by standing under some trees. The sit-ins started at 12noon and remained till 2pm.
Strict security measures were taken by the City police to protect the protestors from any untoward incident. Traffic wardens were busy in keeping the traffic off The Mall.
Earlier, addressing the general house of LHCBA, Aitzaz Ahsan maintained that the lawyersí movement would continue till the restoration of all the ëdeposedí judges. He warned the government to restore the judges to their pre Nov-03 status or else face the movement. He said the lawyers had carried an important responsibility to save the country that was passing through the most critical phase of its history. He lamented that the ëdeposedí judges of the Sindh High Court had accepted fresh appointment contrary to the movement for the restoration of all the judges sacked under Nov-3 PCO.
He said, due to the lawyersí movement, a 13-member bench had restored ëdeposedí Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry, General Musharraf shed his uniform, people rejected the Kingís party through their vote, PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif and PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari signed the Murree-Accord to restore the judges and the dictator left the presidency finally.
Referring to PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardariís promise to restore the deposed judges after impeachment, Aitzaz said if someone did not honour his promise they could not throw stones at him. He said the lawyers had demonstrated their regard for the peaceful protest and warned the movement would fizzle out the day it turned violent.
President SCBA also claimed that the eight ëdeposedí judges of the SHC resumed their courts not because of efforts of Law Minister Farooq Naek but because of the hard work the lawyersí had done for the independence of judiciary and rule of law. However, he added, the ësackedí judges accepted their ouster on Nov-3 as legitimate by taking a fresh appointment.
He asked the PPP to remember the words of Shaheed Benazir Bhutto, who had pledged to hoist national flag atop Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhryís residence.
The jam-packed hall of the bar echoed with slogans against Law Minister Farooq H. Naek and Attorney General Sardar Latif Khosa when Aitzaz said that Dogar was not the chief justice of Mohtarma Shaheed Benazir Bhutto.
He said Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry would accept the international conference, being held in Islamabad from October 9 to 12. He added on November 17, the New York Bar Association would confer its third honorary membership for life to Justice Iftikhar.
Previously, the award had been given to two persons including former South Africa President Nelson Mandela.
Anwar Kamal, Hafiz Abdul Rehman Ansari, Ahmad Awais, Wali Muhammad Khan and Chaudhry Zulfiqar Ahmad also addressed on the occasion.
Demanding the PPP government stop dividing the judiciary by reinstating selected judges, the lawyers’ community called for restoring all the independent judges headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry.
In the provincial metropolis, the lawyers mainly paid two sit-ins: on The Mall in front of the Punjab Assembly and at PMG Chowk, the Lower Mall. The sit-ins caused severe traffic mess at least for two hours. The lawyers also staged sit-ins outside the Cantt and the Model Town courts.
The sit-ins were organised on the call of the Lawyers National Coordination Council after holding weekly protest rallies.
After attending the general house meetings of the Lahore High Court Bar Association and the Lahore Bar Association, the lawyers of the respective bars came out on roads and staged two-hour sit-in at the Punjab Assembly Chowk and PMG Chowk respectively.
Lawyers of the LHCBA were led by its president Anwar Kamal and president SCBA Aitzaz Ahsan.
Activists of different political parties and civil society organizations also joined the lawyersí rallies and sit-ins. However, thin participation of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz activists disappointed the lawyers who were anticipating that the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz would join them with full force after their break up with the PPP.
It was observed that there was not a single MPA or MNA of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz in the lawyers rally contrary to the previous routine when more than two member assemblies had been marching with them.
However, activists of Pakhtoonkhawa Milli Awami Party, the Jamat-e-Islami, Tehrik-e-Khaksar, Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf and the civil society activists joined the lawyers with full strength. Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) chairperson Asma Jahangir and Bushra Aitzaz also joined the sit-in. The protestors chanted slogans for the en bloc restoration of the deposed judges. They also chanted slogans against PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari and the present government.
Aitzaz tried to stop the charged lawyers from targeting the PPP in their slogans but failed to divert their target. He was of the view that it would not be fair to single out any political party. The lawyers also chanted slogans against the judges who had taken fresh oaths to get estored.
At the Punjab Assembly Chowk, the sit-in venue, LHCBA had installed a tent but Aitzaz asked the lawyers to spend the scheduled time under naked sun to make their protest effective. Some lawyers took shelter from the sun by standing under some trees. The sit-ins started at 12noon and remained till 2pm.
Strict security measures were taken by the City police to protect the protestors from any untoward incident. Traffic wardens were busy in keeping the traffic off The Mall.
Earlier, addressing the general house of LHCBA, Aitzaz Ahsan maintained that the lawyersí movement would continue till the restoration of all the ëdeposedí judges. He warned the government to restore the judges to their pre Nov-03 status or else face the movement. He said the lawyers had carried an important responsibility to save the country that was passing through the most critical phase of its history. He lamented that the ëdeposedí judges of the Sindh High Court had accepted fresh appointment contrary to the movement for the restoration of all the judges sacked under Nov-3 PCO.
He said, due to the lawyersí movement, a 13-member bench had restored ëdeposedí Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry, General Musharraf shed his uniform, people rejected the Kingís party through their vote, PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif and PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari signed the Murree-Accord to restore the judges and the dictator left the presidency finally.
Referring to PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardariís promise to restore the deposed judges after impeachment, Aitzaz said if someone did not honour his promise they could not throw stones at him. He said the lawyers had demonstrated their regard for the peaceful protest and warned the movement would fizzle out the day it turned violent.
President SCBA also claimed that the eight ëdeposedí judges of the SHC resumed their courts not because of efforts of Law Minister Farooq Naek but because of the hard work the lawyersí had done for the independence of judiciary and rule of law. However, he added, the ësackedí judges accepted their ouster on Nov-3 as legitimate by taking a fresh appointment.
He asked the PPP to remember the words of Shaheed Benazir Bhutto, who had pledged to hoist national flag atop Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhryís residence.
The jam-packed hall of the bar echoed with slogans against Law Minister Farooq H. Naek and Attorney General Sardar Latif Khosa when Aitzaz said that Dogar was not the chief justice of Mohtarma Shaheed Benazir Bhutto.
He said Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry would accept the international conference, being held in Islamabad from October 9 to 12. He added on November 17, the New York Bar Association would confer its third honorary membership for life to Justice Iftikhar.
Previously, the award had been given to two persons including former South Africa President Nelson Mandela.
Anwar Kamal, Hafiz Abdul Rehman Ansari, Ahmad Awais, Wali Muhammad Khan and Chaudhry Zulfiqar Ahmad also addressed on the occasion.
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