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| May 7, 2006 | Sunday | Rabi-us-Sani 8, 1427 |
PBC seeks political solution to crisis: Balochistan, Waziristan situation
QUETTA, May 6: The Pakistan Bar Council criticizing the military operations in Balochistan and Waziristan has sought a political way out to the crisis.
A one-day all Pakistan lawyers’ convention was held here on Saturday. It was presided over by Pakistan Bar Council vice-chairman Ali Ahmed Kurd and attended by vice-chairmen of all the four provincial bar councils, presidents of bar associations and a large number of lawyers from all over the country.
The convention discussed military operations in Balochistan and Waziristan, provincial autonomy, restoration of Constitution, supremacy of law and independence of judiciary.
Various resolutions were adopted on different issues being faced by the country. A resolution demanded that President Gen Pervez Musharraf should step down and pave the way for holding free, fair and transparent elections in the country.
The lawyers in another resolution expressed solidarity with the people of Balochistan and condemned the military operations in Balochistan and Waziristan.
“Military action should be ceased immediately in Balochistan and Waziristan,” a resolution demanded and urged the rulers to honour the aspirations of the people of Balochistan for provincial autonomy under the Constitution.
The convention denounced the government’s attitude towards displaced Bugtis, Marris and Mengals and demanded immediate return of their lands from where they had been illegally evicted owing to military action against them.
Another resolution said that the people of the province should be the principal beneficiaries of their natural resources and mega projects.
It was demanded that adequate royalty should be paid to Balochistan for the natural resources extracted and the people of the province should be trained for employment in the Gwadar Port, constitution, installation and operation of the new port and its ancillary projects.
Another resolution urged the lawyers that they should not attend any reception hosted by Gen Musharraf or invite him to any function of the bar councils and bar associations.
Speaking at the convention, Mr Kurd said that the military operation launched against the people of Balochistan had forced them to take up arms in their defence and that was their constitutional right.
He said that rulers should learn a lesson from the 1971 like situation that resulted in the dismemberment of Pakistan owing to the wrong policies of military junta. He said that again the country was passing through the same phase as people of Balochistan and Waziristan were braving military operation.
He announced that on June 10 lawyers from all over the country would observe a protest day in Lahore against Balochistan and Waziristan operations.
He urged lawyers and people to gather evidences against corrupt judges and send them to the Pakistan Bar Council, and added that the Bar would evolve its future line of action in view the information against them.
Mohammad Asif Abdul Razaq, vice-chairman of the Sindh Bar Council; Kafait Ali advocate, vice-chairman of the Peshawar Bar Council; Chaudhry Mohammad Azhar, vice-chairman of the Punjab Bar Council; Noor Mohammad Maskanzai, vice-chairman of the Balochistan Bar Council; Raja Shafqat Abbasi, MPA and member of the Punjab Bar Association; Rahim Baloch, president of the Khuzdar District Bar Association; Khalid Mehmood, Ahmed Owais, Hanif Bhatti, Pishin District Bar Association president Aurangzeb Kasi, Karachi Bar Association president Mehmoodul Hasan and Mohammad Aqil Lodhi addressed the convention.
They opposed the ongoing military operations in Balochistan and said that people and lawyers of Punjab, Sindh and the NWFP would fully support the people of Balochistan in the struggle for their rights.
They vowed to continue struggle for the restoration of Constitution, democracy, supremacy of law and independence of judiciary in the country.
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