Rulers hesistant to reinstate judges

LAHORE - Deposed Justice Khawaja Muhammad Sharif has said that incumbent rulers are not restoring the deposed judges due to fears that these judges might reopen cases against them, which had been closed under National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO).
Khawaja Muhammad Sharif was addressing a general house meeting of the Lahore High Court Bar Association here at Karachi Shuhda Hall on Thursday before lawyers’ protest rally for restoration of Nov 2 judiciary.
Khawaja Sharif said the honesty and integrity of the deposed judges was threat for rulers and Pervez Musharraf, adding there were apprehension that the deposed judges could restore the judgment of 7-member Supreme Court bench against emergency and oath of judges under provisional constitutional order (PCO).
“Had you committed no wrong, there is no point of fear”, Sharif added. He also referred a news items that PPP was finding out a guarantors that deposed judges will not reopen NRO and Musharraf’s eligibility cases after restoration into their office. He said government was not capable of controlling the spiralling price hike and lawlessness in the country, as rulers had no respect for the promises made to the nation.
He said the country was facing judicial and economic problems only because politicians forget their promises they made through ‘Murree Declaration’.
He without naming anyone said leadership was not ready to accept the fact that the masses gave them mandate on February 18 for restoration of independent Judiciary and they claim they people gave vote to PPP for “Routi Kapra and Maqaan”. In fact government have snatched Roti from the people due to its bad policies and rising inflation.
About Murree Declaration, he said PPP and PML-N made promises for the restoration of Nov 2 judiciary by a parliamentary resolution but later did not honour his words and said the ‘Murree Declaration’ was not a hadith (word of Holy Prophet). This attitude of dishonouring promises by politicians was cause of all miseries of the people.
Khawaja said the sitting government was trying to create rift between deposed judges by offering deposed judges in individual capacity but no judge will accept such offers in any case.
Rejecting rumours regarding oath of some of the deposed judges, he said the deposed judges would not disappoint legal fraternity in any case by accepting “offers” of the government.
Khawaja Sharif said the lawyers and the nation should trust the deposed as all of the judges are of the view that they will never make any deal with the government by ignoring the sacrifices rendered by the lawyers community.