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.