KARACHI, April 5: The lawyers on Thursday continued their campaign in Sindh High Court, the city courts and Malir district court against the suspension of Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry.
Six members of the Sindh High Court Bar Association (SHCBA) observed a token hunger strike in the bar room. They were Hanif Kashmiri, M.A. Qadri, Chaudhry Mohammad Iqbal, Mashood Ahmed, Mohammad Tariq Mir and Nasir Rizwan Khan. The lawyers boycotted the courts proceedings from 10.30am to 11.30am and gathered in the bar room.
Thirteen members of Karachi Bar Association (KBA) observed a token hunger strike. They were Shaukatullah Bhittani, Nasim Gul, Abdur Rauf Afridi, Saleem Waziri, Abdul Qayum, Naseebullah Achakzai, Wahid Shah, Mushtaq Jahangiri, Mohammad Shoaib, Hussain Shah, Sultan Mehmood Marwat, Rafiullah Khattak and Seraj Khan.
Lawyers in the city courts also stayed away from court proceedings from 10.30am to 11.30am and gathered at the hunger strike camp. They raised slogans against the CJP’s suspension, President Prvez Musharraf and Chief Minister Sindh.
The KBA General Secretary Naeem Qureshi said the government including Chief Minister Sindh had tried to sow discord among the lawyers, but failed. He said their unity had further strengthened and their campaign had continued unabated since 27 consecutive days. He said the CJP’s suspension was unconstitutional and his reinstatement was now a matter of prestige for lawyers.
He said Article 209 of the constitution was misinterpreted by President Musharraf and his associates, saying that there was no room for suspending a CJP or sending him on forced leave. He condemned Senator Wasi Zafar for supporting the President’s action against the CJP and said that lawyers could not and would not support the rulers’ illegal acts.
He said the founder of the country, Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah was a lawyer, but the rulers, he said, never respected the country’s constitution and judiciary, rather weakened the judiciary and democratic institutions in the country.
KBA member Hafeez Baloch said a lawyer had created the country and lawyers would protect it. He said lawyers knew their responsibilities and would struggle to ensure the independence of the judiciary is maintained and the strengthening of democratic institutions.
President Pakistan People’s Party Azad Kashmir Chaudhry Abadul Majeed addressed the lawyers at the KBA Shuhda-e-Punjab Hall. He said the country was passing through the worst type of political and judicial crisis and the entire responsibility for it lay with the rulers. He said the country had been under military rule for most of its existence since its independence. He said that during the military rule the rest of the pillars of the state were not allowed to function properly.
He said the lawyers’ campaign was for the judiciary’s independence, protection of people’s rights, and constitution. He assured the lawyers full support from his party and the lawyers of Azad Kashmir. He also announced a donation of one lac rupees for the KBA.
Four members of Malir Bar Association (MBA) observed token hunger strike in the courts premises. They were Fida Mohammad Khan, Riaz Rasool Memon, Mujeeb Malano and Ahmed Ali.
