March 16, 2007	Friday	Safar 26, 1428

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LAHORE, March 15: The opposition leader in the Punjab Assembly, Qasim Zia, on Thursday moved the assembly secretariat with a requisition seeking the convening of another session of the legislature to discuss, what he called, a deep crisis in the judiciary.

As many as 101 MPAs, belonging to the PPP, the PML-N and other opposition parties, signed the requisition and the speaker was under a constitutional obligation to call for the requisitioned session within 14 days, Mr Zia told a news conference at his assembly office.

The PPP leader said the session was abruptly prorogued on March 13 when important work was still to be transacted, and the protest against sending a reference against Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry and the brutal use of force against a peaceful lawyers’ rally was still in progress. He said the provincial assembly was to debate law and order situation in the Punjab on March 14 and 15 according to the official agenda, but the government chose to close the house business.

He said the session was abruptly prorogued because the government feared the opposition’s reaction to certain sensitive issues within the assembly.

According to him, law and order situation in the province was the main item of discussion in the opposition’s requisition. Debate on some other ‘sensitive’ issues would also be sought, Mr Zia added.

Bar strike: Lawyers continued to boycott court proceedings on the fourth consecutive day on Thursday and attended hunger-strike camps set up against the suspension of Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry.

Lawyers wore black armbands and displayed banners and posters inside and outside the courts to express solidarity with the nonfunctional Chief Justice of Pakistan.

The hunger strike camps were set up on the premises of high court and other subordinate courts, while police did not allow a similar camp outside the Awan-i-Adl near the Civil Secretariat.

Although the Punjab Bar Council on Thursday had appealed the lawyers to observe one-hour strike, but the community extended it to the whole day.

Justice Chaudhry’s father-in-law Rana Ghulam Rasool also visited one of the hunger-strike camps set up by Save Judiciary Committee. Mr Rasool told lawyers that his son in-law, daughter and their children were very courageous. He said Justice Chaudhry would not surrender, and he was ready to make every sacrifice.

Lahore High Court Bar Association President Ahsan Bhoon, addressing a press conference, condemned the maltreatment of the nonfunctional chief justice by police and brutal action against lawyers in Lahore. He also slated the lawyers who attended a convention held by Punjab chief minister.

He announced that an All Pakistan Lawyers Convention would be held on March 17 in Karachi Hall of the LHCBA

The Punjab Bar Council also announced that it would observe black day on Friday (today).