Ex-CJP calls Musharraf 'extremist' for slandering 60 judges

[mujahideen]

Deposed judge in Pakistan appeal

The former Chief Justice of Pakistan, Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry, has addressed supporters despite being under house arrest in Islamabad.
He told lawyers in Karachi by mobile phone that the next government should restore judges deposed by President Musharraf during emergency rule.

Soon after he spoke, police fired tear at protesting lawyers in the city.

Mr Chaudhry was sacked when Mr Musharraf imposed emergency rule in early November.

His dismissal came as the court was preparing to rule on the validity of President Musharraf's re-election.

Mr Chaudhry had gained a reputation for judicial independence, partly through taking up investigations into the highly sensitive issue of the disappearance of political activists allegedly detained illegally by the security forces.


'Defining moments'

Correspondents say that Mr Chaudhry made use of a mobile telephone that was smuggled into his home in Islamabad to address lawyers who had gathered in at least two cities.

He told lawyers in Karachi that the recent election result showed that the Pakistani people had "repudiated" President Musharraf and that "unconstitutional measures" taken by him under emergency rule should be reversed.

"Victory is not far off now," he said.

"There are occasions when a nation passes through defining moments and the Pakistani nation is passing through this defining moment now.

"If we lose this opportunity no one can then change the affairs of this nation ever."

Supporters responded to his speech by chanting "go, Musharraf, go!"

Soon after the suspended chief justice spoke, scuffles broke out in Karachi between police and about 100 lawyers demanding President Musharraf's removal.

Similar protests were held by lawyers in Quetta, and in Lahore, where they burnt an effigy of President Musharraf in front of the Punjab provincial legislature.

Correspondents say that the future of about 60 judges suspended by the president will be on the agenda of talks between the two largest parties to emerge from the week's elections, the Pakistan People's Party [PPP] and The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz [PML-N].

The PPP argues that the issue should be determined by parliament, whereas the PML-N says that that President Musharraf should be immediately impeached and the justices immediately reinstated.

BBC NEWS | South Asia | Deposed judge in Pakistan appeal

 

[mujahideen]

Sharif vows to restore sacked Pakistani judges

By Zeeshan Haider

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Former Pakistani prime minister Nawaz Sharif joined a protest by lawyers on Thursday and vowed that judges sacked by President Pervez Musharraf would be reinstated if his party came to power.

Sharif's party did surprisingly well in Monday's election, finishing second to the party of assassinated former prime minister Benazir Bhutto.

The main party that backs Musharraf, who took power in 1999 when he ousted Sharif in a coup, suffered big losses.

Sharif made the reinstatement of judges the main element of his campaign and has repeated that demand since the election.

The judges were purged in November because they were seen as hostile to Musharraf.

Sharif and Bhutto's widower, Asif Ali Zardari, who now leads her party, are due to meet later on Thursday to begin negotiations on a coalition that could force Musharraf from power.

Lawyers protested in several cities on Thursday to reinforce their demand for the reinstatement of former chief justice Iftikhar Chaudhry and other judges dismissed when Musharraf imposed emergency rule in November.

"The time has come to take Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry and other judges to their chambers in court," Sharif told a crowd of about 150 lawyers gathered on a road leading to Chaudhry's Islamabad house, where he has been detained with his family since November.

He told the cheering crowd Musharraf's rule was "illegal and unconstitutional".

Musharraf, an important U.S. ally, has refused to reinstate the judges. He sacked them when he imposed emergency rule just before they had been expected to rule that his October re-election as president while still army chief was unconstitutional.

Zardari has been calling for the independence of the judiciary but, like Bhutto, has not been insisting on the reinstatement of the judges, saying the new parliament should decide their fate.

Sharif vows to restore sacked Pakistani judges | Reuters

 

[mujahideen]

‘March on capital if judges not restored’

By Syed Faisal Shakeel

LAHORE, Feb 20: Supporters of Aitzaz Ahsan, the detained president of the Supreme Court Bar Association, defied police restrictions and carried him on their shoulders outside his Zaman Park residence.

Talking to the media, Mr Ahsan reiterated his call for restoration of deposed judges by March 7. “Otherwise we will hold a long march and gather in Islamabad from all over the country,” he said.

People from different walks of life had gathered outside Mr Ahsan’s residence to show solidarity with the deposed judges and to demand his release. After holding a protest march, a number of lawyers and other activists entered Mr Ahsan’s residence and brought him out.

Mr Ahsan said that if the deposed judges were stopped from joining the march, the retired judges would take their place and accompany lawyers, civil society representatives and workers of political parties to Islamabad.

He said Justice Saeed-uz-Zaman Siddiqui, Justice Wajihuddin Ahmed and other retired judges had agreed to join the march.

He said he had rejected the offer for his release in exchange of a commitment not to indulge in any political activity.

Answering a question about the sitting judges, Mr Ahsan said once the Supreme Court judges were restored they would take a decision on the matter.

Mr Ahsan said a two-thirds majority in parliament was not needed for restoration of the pre-emergency judiciary because the deposed judges could start performing their duty under an executive order.

He said lawyers would not settle for anything less than the reinstatement of deposed judges and they were ready to negotiate with all political parties for the purpose. “But I want to make one thing clear. That we have a one-point agenda: restoration of all deposed judges,” he added.

He said the sitting judges did not have the legitimacy to endorse the imposition of emergency by President Musharraf because they had benefited directly from the action. “How can the apex court empower someone to introduce amendment to the Constitution when it did not have such a power itself?”

He said the PPP could not ignore the issue of reviving the pre-emergency judiciary because Benazir Bhutto herself had declared Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry as the “real” chief justice of Pakistan.

Commenting on election results, Mr Ahsan said that coalition governments would be formed at the centre and in provinces, except in Sindh, and anti-Musharraf forces would forge an alliance.

He said he was not a candidate for the post of prime minister because he believed that the next prime minister should be from Sindh.

He said Makhdoom Amin Fahim, who enjoyed the trust of Benazir Bhutto, was the most suitable candidate for the premier’s slot.

‘March on capital if judges not restored’ -DAWN - Top Stories; February 21, 2008

 

[roadrunner]

Who said he had to be?

Article 209 of the Constitution says it.

Article 209
(2) The Council (SJC) shall consist of,
(a) the Chief Justice of Pakistan;
(b) the two next most senior Judges of the Supreme Court; and
© the two most senior Chief Justices of High Courts.

I'm saying the particular laws you pointed out which call for the appointment of an acting CJ says that one can only be appointed in case the CJ is unable to perform his duties.

The CJ did not have to be on his own trials jury, the other judges on the bench could have done that.

Who is going to replace the role of CJ in the SJC in accordance with Article 209 then????

Also, how come Mushy decided to fire the CJ just as decision on the legality of Mushy's presidency was to be made? Also a decision on the privitization of the Steel Mills.

As far as i know, it was the judges that were fired just before the legality decision was to be made, not the CJ. The CJ was fired because someone put a reference against him, and Musharraf was obliged to act.

 

[mujahideen]

Lawyers should help form new political set-up: Tariq

Assad Hameed

ISLAMABAD - Detained eminent lawyer and former judge, Justice (Retd) Tariq Mehmood has asked the lawyers community and civil society to patiently cooperate with the newly elected opinion leaders and let them form a political set-up, which would lead Pakistan out of the present fiasco.
“I would request that the victorious parties should be given opportunity to form government, so that they can start dealing with the problems facing Pakistan”, Justice (Retd) Tariq said Thursday while talking to TheNation at his Sector I-8 residence where he is under house arrest after the events of November 3.
Justice (Retd) Tariq Mehmood said military dictators have turned Pakistan into “Masaailistan” (land of problems) but these problems cannot be magically solved instantaneously.
He lauded the role of private media, civil society, students and political parties in the lawyers’ movement for independence of judiciary and restoration of the sacked judges.
“There is a need that we should adopt attitudes and behavior that will strengthen our institutions”, Justice (Retd) Tariq insisted adding that only stronger institutions will lead to rule of law and independence of judiciary. “We all have made huge sacrifices for the larger interest of our country and for strengthening our institutions but we should not expect any temporary personal benefit, in exchange for our sacrifices”, he also said.
“At this critical juncture, we should not take any step, which would bring the incoming political leadership under pressure and the invisible powers may take advantage of it, which would harm and set back our movement, and might even necessitate the launch of a new movement”, Justice (Retd) Tariq Mehmood advised.
He further stated that through these election results the people of Pakistan have provided our leadership a golden opportunity to take Pakistan out of its problems. But to achieve this, we should cooperate with them and be patient, he said.
Justice Tariq pointed out that as a result of lawyers’ movement, Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Shaheed and Mian Nawaz Sharif returned to Pakistan , which resulted in the military dictator being forced to hold free and fair elections. He also regretted that some leaders of the Lawyers’ Movement, who were outside prisons or not under house-arrest, sided with those political forces who staged a boycott of the general elections.
“We want a prosperous Pakistan for our children, where there will be equal rights for everyone and equal opportunities for everyone to develop according to their abilities” he observed.
“This is the start of a new and challenging era for Pakistan, in which our success will require us to be wise, sensible and patient”, Justice (Reted) Tariq concluded.

The Nation

 

[mujahideen]

Judiciary restoration should be first govt priority: Atizaz, Imran

LAHORE: LAHORE: Chief of Tahreek-i-Insaaf Imran Khan and Supreme Court Bar Association President Aitezaz and Imran both said public has given their mandate in elections that they completely reject Musharraf’s dictatorship and wants democratic forces to takeover.

They said elected leaders should take advantage of this mandate and take a clear stance on the issue of judiciary. They appreciated the mutual statement by Nawaz sharif and Asif Ali Zardari in a meeting that judiciary will be reinstated.

Both Aitezaz and Imran stated that there is no need of parliamentary intervention to reinstate the deposed judges as it was only one executive order and not any parliamentary intervention which had deposed them.

Imran and Aitezaz seems united on one point that they want reinstatement of Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudry as the chief justice of Pakistan and all 60 deposed judges who took stand for every citizen of Pakistan and not just the constitution of Pakistan, hence there will be no compromise on this demand.

Aitezaz called for lawyers and civil society’s long march on 9th March and Imran Khan ensured APDM’s and his full support and participation to make the long March a success.

In a reply to a question Aitezaz said he totally supports ANP’s demand of change of name of NWFP to Pakhtunwa.

Judiciary restoration should be first govt priority: Atizaz, Imran

 

[batmannow]

imran khan and aitezaz both are the agents who worked undercover with the hidden agendas to topple musharaf.


bigest example canbe seen as IMRANs grilfriend now, and old wife mss JEMAIMA went to interview musharaf just before a day from elections.


she qouted , reported the whole interview upside down.


in her interveiw she told that musharf stated that PML Q & MQM will win up comming elections.


very next day , musharf s official spokesperson said that , musharaf never said any thing like that.


so, this is just one example of IMRAN KHANS role.

 

[roadrunner]

Judiciary restoration should be first govt priority: Atizaz, Imran

LAHORE: LAHORE: Chief of Tahreek-i-Insaaf Imran Khan and Supreme Court Bar Association President Aitezaz and Imran both said public has given their mandate in elections that they completely reject Musharraf’s dictatorship and wants democratic forces to takeover.

They said elected leaders should take advantage of this mandate and take a clear stance on the issue of judiciary. They appreciated the mutual statement by Nawaz sharif and Asif Ali Zardari in a meeting that judiciary will be reinstated.

Both Aitezaz and Imran stated that there is no need of parliamentary intervention to reinstate the deposed judges as it was only one executive order and not any parliamentary intervention which had deposed them.

Imran and Aitezaz seems united on one point that they want reinstatement of Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudry as the chief justice of Pakistan and all 60 deposed judges who took stand for every citizen of Pakistan and not just the constitution of Pakistan, hence there will be no compromise on this demand.

Aitezaz called for lawyers and civil society’s long march on 9th March and Imran Khan ensured APDM’s and his full support and participation to make the long March a success.

In a reply to a question Aitezaz said he totally supports ANP’s demand of change of name of NWFP to Pakhtunwa.

Judiciary restoration should be first govt priority: Atizaz, Imran

Afaik, the President controls the composition of the Supreme Court Judiciary. I was a bit unsure about whether Musharraf could legally get rid of the CJ, but actually he can indirectly and legally (at least in accordance with the Constitution).

(Yes, I know certain "lawyers" will disagree with me, the same lawyers that resort to throwing bricks through car windows or finding innocent people with no motive guilty of murder..Judges are gone, as is the CJ and it's all legal).

 

[mujahideen]

US diplomats say judges issue Pak internal matter

By Hamid Mir

ISLAMABAD: The United States has now decided to respect the wishes of Pakistani voters and has finally given a go-ahead to the two main winners to resolve all the issues according to the wishes of their voters, including the issue of the deposed Supreme Court judges.

US diplomats, who met some top leaders of PPP and PML-N in the last two days, have conveyed the view that the restoration of the deposed judges was an internal issue of Pakistan and the US would not interfere in any internal political or legal issue.

Spokesperson of the US Embassy in Pakistan, Elizabeth Colton, made it clear on Friday that US diplomats were meeting the politicians just to understand the ground situation and for supporting the democracy.

She said: “The US ambassador and other US Embassy officials regularly meet with representatives of various political parties, and continue to do so. We continue to express our support of the democratic transition.”

When The News asked that why US considered Musharraf indispensable for its interests in Pakistan, she responded: “Through the electoral process, the Pakistani people have expressed their views. It is up to those elected to form a government. We hope that Pakistan’s political leaders will work together to advance a common agenda and meet the challenges ahead. We look forward to working with that government, whoever its leaders will be.”

Observers said it was clear that the Zardari-Nawaz alliance announced on Thursday night had forced the US to change its position on supporting Musharraf, who had announced a few days ago that restoration of the judges was not possible.

In response to a question as to why the US is opposing the restoration of Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry and some other judges, spokesperson Colton said: “The United States has stated its support for an independent media and an independent judiciary. Pakistan’s judicial issue is a matter for Pakistanis to address.” It is learnt that Bush administration conveyed serious reservations about Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry to the leadership of the PPP when late Benazir Bhutto had announced her support for the deposed CJ.

After the surprising election results, US officials started meeting PPP and PML-N leaders and listened to their views on the restoration of judges. PML-N said that if some American judges could release prisoners from Guantanamo Bay, then why a Pakistani judge could not order the release of a person who was thrown behind bars many years ago and no charge was proved against him.

Initially, the restoration of judges became a hurdle in the way of a coalition between the PPP and the PML-N but finally wisdom prevailed and PPP co-chairperson Asif Ali Zardari saved the boat from being rocked. It is no secret in the capital that some intelligence agencies and their collaborators in media tried their level best to create misunderstandings between the PPP and PML-N but the leadership on both the sides proved that they had learnt their lessons from their past mistakes and confrontations.

Zardari and Nawaz Sharif agreed to restore the judges through parliament and forced the US to accept this democratic decision. The US government still has some reservations on the suo moto powers of the judges but PML-N leaders have clearly said to them that this was also our internal issue.

A joint press conference of Asif Ali Zardari and Nawaz Sharif on Thursday gave the impression that both of them were not ready to play in the hands of their enemies. They agreed that the restoration of judges would provide some immediate credibility to the new coalition government and after that they would start fighting with inflation and price hike.

Nawaz Sharif and Asif Ali Zardari will soon meet again and discuss about a joint meeting with King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia. They will request Saudi Arabia to help in stabilising the oil prices for two to three years so that the new elected government could have some relief.

US diplomats say judges issue Pak internal matter

 

[mujahideen]

Old heroes remain unsung

Assad Hameed

ISLAMABAD - Chief Justice Saeed-uz-Zaman Siddiqi and his brother judges who opted not to take oath under first Provisional Constitution Order (PCO) in year 2000 are the actual heroes of the struggle for independence of judiciary in the country, many leading lawyers have asserted.
Now when the democratic forces are heading towards materializing the dream of reinstating the superior judges sacked in wake of November 3-emergency, those senior judges who decided to quit against the PCO, should also be rewarded for their heroic stance, these lawyers have demanded in a number of interviews and background discussion with TheNation.
The then Chief Justice Saeed-uz-Zaman Siddiqi, Justice Nasir Aslam Zahid, Justice Kamal Mansoor Alam, Justice Wajihuddin Ahmed and Justice Khalilur Rehman, all judges of the apex court, along with Justice Rashid A Rizvi, Justice Muhstaq Memon and Justice Ghous Muhammad at Sindh High Court refused to take oath under the PCO introduced by President Pervez Musharraf who was also the then Army Chief.
These were the early days of military regime when it asked the judiciary to pledge loyalty to General Musharraf by taking oath under the PCO in January 2000 shortly after taking over by overthrowing the elected government of Mian Mohammad Nawaz Sharif.
Though majority of their brother judges in the Supreme Court as well as provincial High Courts took oath under Musharraf’s PCO, the then Chief Justice and some of his colleagues refused to do so and opted to go home.
Former President, Supreme Court Bar Association and icon of the ongoing lawyers movement for independence of judiciary in Pakistan, Munir A Malik Advocate is also among the admirers of those great heroes of judicial history.
“Chief Justice Saeed-uz-Zaman Siddiqi, Justice Nasir Aslam Zahid, Justice Kamal Mansoor Alam, Justice Wajih-ud-Din Ahmed and Justice Khalil-ur-Rehman are the great heroes of judicial history and so are Justice Rashid A Rizvi, Justice Muhstaq Memon and Justice Ghous Muhammad”, Munir A Malik said while recalling the great sacrifice of these superior judges for upholding judicial norms and independence of judiciary.
Though these judges have already reached their age of superannuation but the democratic forces must acknowledge their great service and historic stance by giving them all the perks and privileges that they entitled, Munir A Malik said while talking to The Nation on Friday.
Authorities had taken 54-year old ailing Munir Malik immediately after the imposition emergency and kept him behind bars until his deteriorating health forced them to withdraw the dentition orders.
Detention and protracted illness has kept Munir A Malik a little away from the lawyers movement after events of November 3, however, he will be always remembered for his courageous role in the lawyers movement that successfully backed the reinstatement of deposed Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry after he was first sacked by President Musharraf in March last year.
Former President Lahore High Court Bar Association, (LHCBA) and senior Advocate Muhammad Ikram Chaudhry even demanded that these judges should be reinstated according to their seniority and even if the desire not to serve any more, they should get symbolic reinstatement.
“We must remember our heroes in a way that the coercive and dictatorial forces should feel ashamed and dare not to pull down anyone in future for standing firm on his constitutional and legal stance”, Ikram said.
He said the lawyers’ community stands for independence of judiciary and restoration of all the judges sacked through unconstitutional orders of President Musharraf.
Many other leaders of the legal fraternity have also demanded the restoration of deposed Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry and all other judges sacked in the aftermath of November 3 but also called for proper salutation of all those judges who were sacked in year 2000.
They believed that the victory of democratic forces in the February 18 elections has brightened the chances for restoration of those superior judges who were sacked by Musharraf regime after imposing emergency on November 3.
But at the same time, all the political forces and legal fraternity must group together to recall and repay the heroics of those great jurists who sacrificed their careers and offices in line with the principles for independence of judiciary, these lawyers further said.

The Nation

 

[Tiki Tam Tam]

The deposed CJ is just raring to get back to warm his old chair.

Nawaz seems to be keen since then the judgement over Musharraf's election can be given and given the CJ's attitude, it sure would ensure that it is declared illegal!

More problems than solutions!

 

[mujahideen]

Legal experts advice sought to resolve judges issue

By Nasir Iqbal

ISLAMABAD, Feb 25: The Pakistan People’s Party and PML-N, the likely partners in a coalition government, have sought the advice of some top legal experts on ways of resolving the prevailing judicial crisis because many top lawyers and constitutional experts appear to be divided on ways of restoring the deposed judges and, even more, on the issue of the fate of the post-emergency judicial set-up.

In view of the enormity of the crisis, two mainstream parties have invited a number of senior legal experts including Fakhruddin G. Ibrahim who is reaching Islamabad on Tuesday.

“I am coming to Islamabad as both Nawaz Sharif and the PPP have asked me to help them in finding a solution,” he told Dawn when asked to comment on the issue.

After meeting the two, Mr Ibrahim said, he might also address a press conference to spell out the solution he had in mind for the political parties.

Renowned human right activist and constitutional expert Asma Jehangir already met Asif Zardari on Monday to hammer out a solution.

The crisis seems two-fold – one, how to reinstate the deposed judges who were sent home after the proclamation of the November 3, 2007, emergency, through a constitutional amendment or a simple executive order; and two, on what would become of the judges who have signed oath of loyalty to President Pervez Musharraf under the Provisional Constitution Order (PCO) promulgated along with the order imposing the state of emergency rule, and who later took a fresh oath under the Constitution after the emergency was lifted.

“Reinstatement of the pre-PCO judges should not be linked with the removal of the present ones,” observed senior legal counsel Khalid Anwar, adding that this was the most “politically-charged question”.

Mr Anwar said the correct road to take in finding a proper solution was to give a chance to the new parliament to debate and come up with a solution.

To him there could be two methods to resolve the crisis, either to let the Supreme Court decide the matter through a petition or let the legislators intervene through constitutional amendment for which a two-thirds majority in parliament would be needed.

On the one hand, he said, the lawyer’s community was saying that since the judges had been removed unconstitutionally, therefore, a simple executive order would suffice to reinstate them.

To advance this proposition, the legal fraternity is banking on an interim order issued by a seven-member bench, headed by deposed Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry, by staying the emergency rule moments after its proclamation by President Musharraf as the then army chief.

This interim order, however, got superseded by a final judgment of the Supreme Court which validated the emergency rule on the touchstone of the Zafar Ali Shah case. The doctrine of necessity invoked by the apex court in validating the emergency rule, though not liked by the people, was also affirmed when the review petition against the emergency rule was rejected by the apex court.

A senior government official confided to Dawn that one of the options which had been dwelt at length was to reinstate the judges and let them work side by side with the present ones to help reduce the huge backlog and wait during the process for the retirement age of the senior judges.

Legal experts advice sought to resolve judges issue -DAWN - Top Stories; February 26, 2008

 

[mujahideen]

Aitzaz may defer Long March

OUR STAFF REPORTER

LAHORE -SCBA President and PPP bigwig Aitzaz Ahsan has hinted that the call for “Long March” scheduled for March 9 ‘could be withdrawn’ in order to give some breathing space to the new parliament with respect to restoration of judges.
He however reiterated that “the lawyers stand by our call to launch the march on March 9. The lawyers’ purpose in giving that date is to give our political parties the required backing that they may need to resist pressure to give up on restoration of judiciary. The lawyers will, however, accommodate any genuine need to readjust to a different schedule.”
It is to be recalled that some senior lawyers have been criticising Long March call stating it is too early to launch the march and the parliament in-waiting should be given sufficient time to resolve judges’ issue.
In a letter written to bar associations, Mr Aitzaz said: “Lawyers do intend to give Parliament time to restore the judiciary, but with General Musharraf continuing in power and opposing the restoration of judges, parliament needs our ultimatums as a back-up.
“Our Chief Justice remains under arrest for four months with his children while we are being lectured on statesmanship. He has not surrendered. Nor will the lawyers.
It is thus that the lawyers stand by our call to launch our Long March on March 9. The lawyers purpose in giving that date is to give our political parties the required backing that they may need to resist pressure to give up on restoration of judiciary.
The lawyers will, however, accommodate any genuine need to readjust to a different schedule.
The lawyers trust and respect political parties. But they do not trust General Musharraf. Given the humiliation of his party, General Musharraf should have quit.
With his exit, the lawyers’ suspicion and impatience would also have disappeared and greater adjustments made possible.”
Aitzaz Ahsan also asked lawyers to remain united because last week the regime’s agencies began to work on a plan to divide the lawyers’ movement. The best way to do that was to discredit and malign the name of the Bar leadership.
He also took lawyers in confidence on the issues being raised.
“I became counsel for the Chief Justice, later of Justice(r) Wajihud Din Ahmed and a candidate for President SCBA at the request of the heroes of the lawyers’ movement Munir A Malik, Ali Ahmed Kurd, Tariq Mahmood and other senior lawyers.”
“There was no conspiracy or ulterior motive. On the first day of my term, I was arrested. So were the 60 judges. The single object before me is only and only to have our independent judges restored”. “But what is now evident is that the Chief Justice and judges cannot be detained indefinitely. The day they are out, they will come to the lawyers in the more than 100 Bar Associations of the country. People will greet them throughout their journeys. I will be with them. Therefore there is an urgency in the government campaign to divide legal fraternity.
However, the trust you have reposed in me is a burden that I intend to carry to the end. Lawyers have been beaten, bludgeoned, tear gassed, fired at, burnt, bombed, killed and arrested. It was their movement that opened up space for our national parties to obtain power. The lawyers will, therefore, be only too happy if parliament exercises its sovereign authority. But a sovereign Parliament cannot be constructed on the debris of an independent judiciary. Yet the lawyers will strongly resist any move by Musharraf to invoke Art 58 (2) (b) of the Constitution. The legal community will defend this Parliament with all their energies.” Lastly, he thanked and appreciated lawyers for their continued support to him and his colleagues in these very difficult times. He said, “The lawyers have stood by me despite the propaganda and disinformation of the supporters of the regime. “Your Movement is not going to disintegrate. All rumours in this regard are false”, he said. “I therefore call upon you to beware conspiracies to create divisions within the lawyers’ movement and to malign the name of bar leadership”, he concluded.

The Nation

 

[mujahideen]

Judiciary Day on March 9: APDM

IRFAN BUKHARI

ISLAMABAD - All Parties Democratic Movement (APDM) has announced to observe Judiciary Day on March 9 across the country to express solidarity with the lawyers and deposed judges in their struggle for judiciary’s independence.
Convener APDM Mehmood Khan Achakzai and other central leaders, including Qazi Hussain Ahmed, Imran Khan, Liaqat Baloch, Abdul Hayee Baloch, Abdul Qadir Magsi and Pir Abdul Rahim Naqashbandi, jointly announced this while addressing a press conference after APDM’s meeting here on Tuesday.
“APDM will launch a protest movement with the support of lawyers, judges and other members of civil society if dictatorship exists in the country,” said Achakzai. He added said that protest rallies would be taken out and seminars would be held in this connection.
He said that APDM was established on the points of restoration of Constitution, resignation of President Musharraf, elimination of the army role in political affairs of the country and independence of institutions. He alleged that February 18 general elections were rigged and President Pervez Musharraf removed former premier Nawaz Sharif unconstitutionally from government on October 12, 1999.
The APDM convener said that all the political parties have expressed their willingness for not contacting President Musharraf and added, “Some parties of APDM contested the election but majority of the people didn’t cast their votes and rejected the aides of Musharraf”.
Chairman PTI Imran Khan said, “We will have no objection if deposed judges are reinstated through newly elected parliament.” He said that PML-Q would have got majority if elections were held on January 8 and stressed that democratic forces have gained victory only due to the martyrdom of former premier Benazir Bhutto.
Qazi Hussain Ahmed termed the assassination of Surgeon General Lt Gen Mushtaq Baig as a great tragedy and strongly condemned the Rawalpindi blast. He underlined that all incidents of terrorism are being occurred due to pro-American policies of Musharraf and Pakistan is being pushed into fire of terrorism.
Talking about the meeting with PML-N Quaid Nawaz Sharif, Qazi said that Nawaz told him that reinstatement of sacked judges is the top priority of PML-N and the restored judges would decide the future of the President Musharraf.

The Nation

 

[mujahideen]

No chance for lawyers’ movement to roll back: Munir

RAWALPINDI: Former president, Supreme Court Bar Association, Munir A. Malik Wednesday said lawyers will not accept any other settlement besides restoration of deposed judges. Addressing the Rawalpindi High Court Bar, he attributed the success of democratic forces in the recent general elections to the struggle launched by the lawyers. Therefore, he said, if a political party does not want full restoration of the judges it does not deserve to be called a democratic party. Munir Malik said no one should remain under the illusion that lawyers will back down from the stance. “They will keep their struggle on until the full restoration of the deposed judges,” he added. He hoped that Aitezaz Ahsan and Ali Ahmed Kurd will also be released from detention just like Tariq Mehmood. “The lawyers are completely united,” Munir Malik said.

Courtesy Geo