Bush big hurdle in reinstatement of judges: Aitzaz

To a question, he said Pervez Musharraf had committed a criminal act by removing and detaining the judges and their children on November 3 as such he was not expected to reinstate them. However, he added, Nawaz Sharif and Asif Ali Zardari, for being signatory to the Bhurban Declaration on judges restoration within 30 days, were responsible for neglecting the commitment at a time when the Parliament, which has to actually do the needful, is composed of their majority members. Answering a question on the late role of Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) in running the lawyers movement, Aitzaz looked askance at certain members of this body and smilingly said, the Council has received Rs 50 million grant from the government and went on to say, the ‘PBC has previously been putting hurdles and it was doing the same,’ obviously pointing to its role in the movement. He reiterated the commitment to continue the movement with more force and vigour in the future till the judges are reinstated.

To a question on the invitation by People’s Lawyers Forum to Chief Justice of Pakistan Abdul Hamid Dogar to its convention, Aitzaz urged the forum not to invite him pleading that, ‘Mr Dogar’ was apparently holding the CJP office when actually he was not a constitutional judge in the eyes of the lawyers after taking PCO oath on November 3 last. He asked the PPP lawyers to recall the November 9 statement of Shaheed Benazir Bhutto outside the residence of Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry that she and the nation considered Justice Chaudhry as Chief Justice of Pakistan and the PPP would again raise flag at his residence. He quoted Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani that two chief justices of Pakistan could not exist in the country. He asked the prime minister to appoint Justice Chaudhry the only CJP making the words of Shaheed Benazir Bhutto true. He said PPP leadership must frame its strategy regarding the judges keeping in view sentiments of Benazir Bhutto about them.