Aitzaz smells a rat

ISLAMABAD - The kingpin of lawyers' movement and former President of Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) Barrister Aitzaz Ahsan comprehends the humming of conspiracies in the wake of reinstatement of Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry. The apprehension Aitzaz Ahsan shared with the media while addressing a Meet The Press programme at the National Press Club here on Wednesday. Aitzaz also dispelled the impression that the restoration of independent judiciary led by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry was not a headache of Punjab but a demand of whole of Pakistan.
"The demand for restoration of the Chief Justice was a national issue and it was not mutually exclusive for the Province of Punjab", Aitzaz remarked.
He also stated that the statements by some politicians in this regard were very hurting.
Recalling the events of successful long march that resulted in success with the restoration of Chief Justice Iftikhar and other independent minded judges, Aitzaz said the momentum of lawyers movement was so high that people could have run over a mountain of barriers and containers if the rulers had not reinstated the independent judiciary.
Aitzaz also announced an end to his boycott of the courts and stated that he would again start his law practice from the next week.
He also stated that financially he suffered a lot during the last two years but was proud for not appearing before any PCO judge in line with his principle stance of not appearing before any PCO judge as a protest.
Attributing the restoration of Chief Justice Iftikhar and his companions with great leadership of Benazir Bhutto, Aitzaz said the restoration had come as a fulfillment of pledge made by great late Chairperson of PPP on March 9 last year.
"We will hoist the national flag at the residence of Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry to fulfil the promise made by Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto in line with her promise that Iftikhar Chaudhry was the lawful Chief Justice of Pakistan and she would hoist the national flag at his residence after coming to power", Aitzaz announced.
He also stated that Naheed Khan and Safdar Abbasi and son of late lawyers leader Imdad Awan would specially attend the flag hoisting ceremony.
Aitzaz lauded the role of lawyers, political workers, media and civil society in the great struggle for restoration of Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry and other independent judges.
He warned that if any effort was made to subvert the process of restoration of judiciary through filing of petitions in the court, the lawyers' community and political workers would strongly resist it and again come out on the roads.
Aitzaz said that the lawyers community has accepted the restoration of Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry five days late than the restoration of the other judges, but even then if judicial complications or conspiracies were hatched they would be strongly resisted.
Aitzaz said,"No other formula is acceptable to us." He hoped that those opposed to the restoration of Chief Justice would now cooperate with him with an open heart.
To a question about PCO and non-PCO judges, he said that there is an article in the Charter of Democracy that in future no judge would take oath under the PCO.
He said that the lawyers movement has created awareness in the society, adding that the sacrifices of political workers, lawyers would be written in golden words in history.
Senator Safdar Abbasi, Naheed Khan and other PPP workers will attend the ceremony, he added.
Aitzaz ruled out any chance of quitting PPP saying that he is still with PPP and if gets a chance he will contest elections on PPP ticket.