03 October 2004	Sunday	17 Shaban 1425

LAHORE, Oct 2: The Pakistan Bar Council on Saturday decided to observe Oct 12 as a black day to commemorate the fifth anniversary of the military take-over, and sponsor an All-Pakistan Lawyers Convention here on Nov 20.

The decisions were taken at a meeting of representative lawyers held here with PBC vice-chairperson Rasheed A Razvi, former judge of the Sindh High Court, in the chair.

The meeting also decided to mobilize lawyers by holding conventions and seminars at the sub-division level across the country to systematically build a national campaign against the military regime making it to quit the governance which, it said, was the sole prerogative of political parties.

Elaborating on the decision, Mr Razvi said the lawyers should hold meetings to pass resolutions seeking Gen Pervez Musharraf to take off his uniform. They should also hoist black flags on bar buildings and appear in courts with black armbands.

He said the PBC did not accept Mr Musharraf as president and a president in uniform could simply not be perceived. "It is unfortunate that he (Musharraf) has chosen to follow in the footsteps of former military rulers to become the worst dictator of the country."

About 100 members of the Pakistan and provincial bar councils and office-holders of bars from across the country attended the moot, which was charged with emotions against the continued military rule. The only issue on the meeting's agenda was the uniform of the president who, the lawyer leaders said, was not prepared to take it off despite a solemn commitment to the people.

Spelling out undiluted democracy under a civilian rule, an independent judiciary, restoration of constitutional institutions and rule of law as the fundamental objectives, the moot vowed to mount pressure on the military regime to achieve its (lawyers') cherished goal.

The meeting rejected through a resolution Gen Musharraf as president, an office which, it said, owed to a referendum held in contravention of the constitution. The intention, the resolution said, amounted to perpetuate a fraud on the constitution and the people.

The situation was also fraught with the danger of creating an alarm in the federating units and run the federation into a high risk of confrontation, according to the resolution."The article 43, read with article 260, prohibits the president to hold any office of profit which includes service in armed forces", the resolution said, and added that Gen Musharraf continued to violate the oath of his office since he took over with the power of the gun.

The lawyers' moot opened the debate on proposals like taking to street by holding rallies, observing hunger strike in different parts of the country and seeking support of political parties in the national campaign against the president retaining the office of the chief of army staff. The delegates counselled that any agitation must follow a comprehensive mobilization of lawyers down to the sub-district level.

The lawyers condemned members of the fraternity, who were now in assemblies and supporting the army general for wearing the two hats. There were suggestions that such members be served notice for professional misconduct and expelled.

They also criticized the Punjab and Sindh assemblies for adopting resolutions in favour of the president's uniform. They were of the view that all those supporting the 'malicious' move, were subverting the constitution and triable for high treason under article 6 of the constitution.

Supreme Court Bar Association President Tariq Mahmood said the regime had systematically maligned politicians to perpetuate in power. He said chief justices Muhammad Munir, Sheikh Anwarul Haq, Syed Nasim Hasan Shah, Irshad Hasan Khan and Sheikh Riaz Ahmad were responsible for bailing out the army rule.

He was of the view that the uniform issue had been raised under a conspiracy projected at covering up the real question of the 17th amendment to the constitution.

Sindh High Court Bar Association President Abdul Hafeez Lakho and many other leaders condemned the operation in Wana and the establishment of Cantonments in Balochistan as part of an international conspiracy.

The meeting's consensus as explained by PBC executive committee chairperson Qazi Muhammad Jameel was that both the uniform and the man in uniform should now go.