Lawyers propose courts lock-up

LAHORE - The high court bar associations of the three provinces of the country while expressing dissatisfaction with the ruling coalition on the restoration of November 2 judiciary, have formed the Restoration of Judiciary Committee to accelerate the on-going movement of the lawyers as well as to create a better coordination among the bars to achieve the objective of judges reinstatement.

Presidents and secretaries of the high court bar associations of Punjab, Sindh and NWFP (all benches) met here Saturday and framed recommendations which would be jointly put up by them before the All Pakistan Representatives Convention on July 19, for realising the goal of judges' restoration through various measures including lock-up of the high courts and the Supreme Court until the needful is done.

Chairman of the committee, President Rawalpindi Bar Association, Sardar Asmatullah told a press conference that lawyers and the people were greatly disappointed with the ruling coalition of PPP and PML-N for doing nothing to fulfil their promise of judges' restoration in accordance with the Murree Declaration. He said the role of PML-N too, in this regard was not satisfactory and this party despite openly supporting the restoration of judges, was a prey to 'duplicity' which was evident from its vote to Finance Bill whereof strength of the Supreme Court judges had been increased to 29. Flanked by President LHCBA Anwar Kamal, and President Multan HCBA Mahmood Ashraf Khan, Sardar Asmatullah rejected the Constitutional package being brought by the PPP government to restore the judges and said it was tantamount to depriving the judiciary of its independence and giving protection to the PCO judges.

He said the Convention would also be asked to make any office bearer of the Bar resign his office, in case he appeared before the court violating the protest call on Thursday. In future, he said no individual or body would guide the movement at its own, rather any suggestion on its part, would be presented to the convention.

Sardar Asmatullah said in order to give a new surge to the lawyers' movement that his bar had announced to hold a strong protest at the Constitutional Avenue on July 10 and he asked the lawyers from other parts of the country also to join it for it was being made at the time when a 'dictator' had once again challenged them through his speech in Karachi.

The Bars have also condemned in the strongest terms the ongoing military operation in Tribal areas and said, it was unbecoming of the character of a democratic government and the parliament that such an operation was being launched bypassing any debate or approval by the Parliament but to please only an 'individual.' The operation speaks of the government frustration to settle the matter through dialogue, they added.

To the question that if the Pakistan Bar Council, which has recently shown a clear split over the continuation of movement, did not agree to their recommendations and even thought of winding up the movement what would be their reaction, he said they would feel sorry if the PBC did not go with the lawyers movement and fell prey to expediencies and would hold the body accountable for its action.

The Bars also appreciated Sargodha and Jahanian Districts Bars for not accepting the government grants.

The others present at the Conference also included Secretary High Court Bar Rawalpindi Malik Muhammad Siddiq, Secretary High Court Bar Bahawalpur Muhammad Umair Hussan, Secretary High Court Bar Multan Muhammad Naveed Rana, President High Court Bar Dera Ismail Khan Muhammad Daud Khan, President High Court Bar Bahawalpur Malik Muhammad Aslam Channar, Secretary Sidh High Court Bar Munirur Rahman, Finance Secretary Sindh High Court Bar Association Sarwar Muhammad Khan, Secretary LHCBA Rana Asadullah Khan and Vice-President LHCBA Mian Muhammad Aslam.