Lawyers’ strike till restoration of judges

By Our Staff Reporter

ISLAMABAD, Nov 7: The Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) has appealed to the lawyers’ community to continue its countrywide strike till the restoration of judges removed under the Provisional Constitution Order (PCO).

“We appreciate the epic struggle being waged by the lawyers’ community against the martial law imposed by Gen Musharraf in the garb of emergency and Provisional Constitution Order,” said a statement issued after consultation with available members of the National Action Committee of lawyers.

The statement was signed by PBC vice-chairman Mirza Aziz Akbar Baig, Supreme Court Bar Association’s acting president Sakhi Sultan and PBC members Hamid Khan and Syed Qalb-i-Hassan.

“We appeal to the lawyers’ community throughout Pakistan that complete strike and boycott of the courts should continue until Saturday, and thereafter lawyers may appear before the subordinate courts but the boycott of the Supreme Court as well as the high courts should continue indefinitely till all the PCO judges are ousted and the judges under the Constitution are restored to perform their constitutional duties and functions,” the statement said.

It called for recording the names of lawyers who would violate the call and appear before the PCO judges so that they could be removed from the membership of the bar associations.

It suggested that the lawyers should demonstrate only inside or outside the courts’ premises.

“We reject all judges who have taken oath under the PCO and all those who are taking oath under the PCO,” it said, asking the lawyers not to appear before them and demonstrate outside their courtrooms.

The statement praised Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry and other judges of the Supreme Court and high courts who had refused to take oath under the PCO.

“We regard them as legitimate judges who should resume their duties and functions under the Constitution as and when physical impediments laid in their way by the Musharraf regime are removed,” it said.

The PBC appealed to political parties, members of the civil society and professions to support the lawyers’ movement wholeheartedly by joining the demonstrations outside the Supreme Court and high courts where PCO judges sit.

The lawyers’ movement for restoration of the Constitution, rule of law and independence of the judiciary is meant to secure the future of the country, end the illegitimate military regime of Gen Musharraf and to prevent any future military adventures from subverting the Constitution, it said.Meanwhile, Chief Justice Abdul Hameed Dogar on Wednesday administered oath to Justice Dr Rashid Ahmed Jullundhari as ad hoc member of the Shariat Appellate Bench of the Supreme Court.






Dawn 8/Nov/07