ISLAMABAD, June 16: The lawyers community on Wednesday vowed to resist with full force any attempt to establish military courts in the country.
"We will never allow the government to establish a parallel judicial system in the country aimed at undermining the independence of judiciary," Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) Vice-President Mohammad Ikram Chaudhry said while speaking at a press conference held outside the Supreme Court building.
The SCBA vice-president recalled that the Supreme Court in the Sheikh Liaquat case had scrapped the very concept of the military courts established to deal with cases related to terrorism during Nawaz Sharif's second stint as prime minister.
He also warned to observe a one-day strike throughout the country and asked all the bar associations to mount pressure against the establishment of military courts. "If the idea of military court is not dropped, lawyers' bodies would also make this attempt a part of their ongoing campaign for the revival of the 1973 Constitution, besides All Pakistan Lawyers Association would also include this issue in their agenda during its upcoming meeting in Lahore," he said.
Mr Chaudhry also urged the Chief Justice of Pakistan to assert himself by filling the vacant seats in the apex court from the high courts by strictly adhering to the principle of seniority.
Rawalpindi Bar Association President Ghazanfar Shah explained that the 1973 Constitution did not envisage any provision regarding the setting up of a military court. The establishment of such courts would only mean more violations of the fundamental rights of the people, he added.
The lawyers also warned that 'imposition' of military courts would bring bad name to the country, especially when the international community was against the military rule. They alleged that President Gen Pervez Musharraf launched operation in Wana to perpetuate his self-rule in the country and now was considering other options in this regard.
