HYDERABAD, May 10: There is a consensus among parliamentarians and representatives of lawyers that a sovereign parliament, an independent judiciary and real democracy can not be established under the umbrella of the Legal Framework Order.

This was stated by the president of High Court Bar Association, Hyderabad, Hakim Ali Siddiqui, at a meeting held at the HCBA office here on Friday to mark the lawyers’ black day against the LFO.

He said that “controlled” democracy which has been introduced under the LFO would not deliver goods and democracy would not take roots.

Mr Siddiqui said that the LFO was the bone of contention between parliamentarians and lawyers and the government as no wise man was ready to accept that a true democratic system could be introduced in the country as long as constitutional amendments introduced through the LFO existed.

He said that in addition to presidential powers, the extra-constitutional National Security Council was another pricking thorn in the body of democracy and a sovereign parliament.

Lawyers of Hyderabad, on the call of Pakistan Bar Council, observed black day against the LFO by wearing black arm-bands and holding protest meetings.