Legal status for PCO judges not acceptable: LHCBA

RAWALPINDI - Rejecting the newly proposed constitutional package of Pakistan People's Party (PPP), leaders of lawyers made it obvious that legal fraternity would not accept any step of the government in which it tried to give legal status to those judges who has taken oath under Provisional Constitutional Order (PCO) after declaration of Emergency on November 3, 2007 by President Pervez Musharraf. They demanded the restoration of deposed judges in accordance with Murree Accord as Pakistan Peoples Party and Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz announced it on March 9, 2008. Lahore High Court Bar Association (LHCBA) Rawalpindi President Sardar Asmatullah Khan stated this here on Tuesday after chairing a meeting of all district and Tehsil bar associations representatives that chalked out their plan regarding their proposed June 10 long march for the restoration of dysfunctional judges. Justice (Retd) Tariq Mehmood and advocate Athar Minallah also attended the meeting.   Talking to the media men, Advocate Sardar Asmatullah remarked that lawyers totally reject the proposed constitutional package as it is aimed at accommodating the PCO judges. "One would have to draw a line of distinction between the right and wrong as the propose package gives legality to those who violated constitution and November 3 Supreme Court judgement cannot be made a part of restored judiciary," he added. The LHCBA president said that lawyers hoped that the elected government honouring the mandate of people and its pledge made in Murree on March 9 would make the judges functional and their protest march was aimed at reminding the government of unfulfilled commitment. Talking about the plan of long March, Sardar Asmatullah said that on June 10, all the members of lawyer's community from Sindh and Southern Balochistan would gather at Multan later these would come to Lahore on 12th of June. From Lahore all the participating lawyers led by deposed chief justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry would gather at Liaqat Bagh Rawalpindi. "The LHCBA Rawalpindi will be the host of all these lawyers and lawyers from all the district bars will participate in this regard," Sardar Asmat further said. He continued that from Liaqut Bagh, they would gather at Constitutional Avenue and march towards the Parliament House. To a question that the lawyers in their earlier statement had said that they would march toward the Army House then why they have altered their decision and whether they would march against the PPP government, Sardar Asmat said that the National Action Committee of lawyers had decided that their march would be towards the Parliament. He added that legal fraternity is agitating for independence of judiciary and against the PPP government. "We are in contact with all the political and social pressure groups in this regard. If PML-N and Nawaz Sharif would come with us they would be fulfilling their promises and the ex-service men society will also accompany us in this long march, he maintained. He was of the view that their protest march is against Pervaiz Musharraf and the illegal removal of the judges and this is a national cause and the public will be with us in this regard.

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