KARACHI: Lawyers slam detention of PBC vice-chairman
By A Reporter
KARACHI, April 28: Various associations of lawyers on Saturday condemned the detention of Vice-Chairman of Pakistan Bar Council Ali Ahmed Kurd in Quetta, who is also a counsel of Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry in the presidential reference filed against him.
Speaking at a joint press conference in the office of the Karachi Bar Association, leaders of the associations warned if any lawyer was arrested for supporting the judiciary’s independence campaign they would launch ‘Jail Bharo Tehrik’ (court arrest drive).
“It is a glaring example of the success of our campaign that the government immediately released Ali Ahmed Kurd,” the lawyers said.
PBC members Abu Inam, Yasin Azad, Sindh Bar Council Vice-Chairman Mohammad Amin Lakhani, members Zia Ahmed Awan, Salahuddin Gandapur, Fahim Riaz Siddiqui, Sati Ishaq, Sindh High Court Bar Association Vice-President Zia Nasir, KBA General Secretary Naeem Qureshi, K.K. Jvaid Khan, Hafeez Baloch, Imran Mohammad Iqbal, Mehmood-ul-Hassan and Amir Niaz Khan said all the associations were fully united and would take out historical procession on May 12 to receive Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry at the airport. Soon after his arrival, the chief justice would come to the city courts from where he would accompany protesters in a procession to the Sindh High Court.
They said the government was using all tactics to scare the lawyers and the arrest of Ali Ahmed Kurd was a part of the scheme which, they said, was foiled by the lawyers. They said leaders of PBC and Supreme Court Bar Association were fully authorised to take a decision and all the lawyers’ associations in the country would follow them. They said the KBA had planned to hold a nationwide lawyers’ convention very soon in which all the judges who had tendered resignations in support of lawyers’ campaign would also be invited.
The speakers maintained they believed in freedom of expression, free press and were struggling for independence of judiciary. They said they were ready to face consequences for the rule of law, restoration of constitution and getting rid of the military dictators. They said the Supreme Judicial Council in the present shape was not acceptable to lawyers as the chief justice had expressed his reservations about three members of the council and they must quit the council.
“Our campaign is successfully continuing for about two months and our determination is to continue it even for years just for the sake of the rule of law and against the intervention of military in the political affairs of the country,” said the lawyers. Musharraf’s re-election from the present assemblies would be opposed and the government would not be allowed to rig the next general elections, they said and added that the campaign was started for the first time during the last six decades and would not come to an end unless targets were achieved.
The lawyers in the city courts stayed away from the court proceedings from 10.30am to 11.30am and held a general body meeting at the Shuhda-i-Punjab Hall of Karachi Bar Association.
Addressing the meeting, Pakistan Bar Council member Yasin Azad condemned the arrest of PBC Vice-Chairman Ali Ahmed Kurd in Quetta. By using such tactics, he said, the government could not scare lawyers to avoid running the peaceful campaign for restoration of constitution and independence of judiciary.
He said preparations were underway to give a warm welcome to the Chief Justice of Pakistan on his visit to Karachi on May 12. He said lawyers had always raised voice against the injustices and opposed the dictators. He said it was duty of each citizen to play his role for independence of judiciary so that protection to fundamental rights of the people could be ensured.
Others who addressed the general body meeting were Supreme Court Bar Association Vice-President Khwaja Naveed, Sindh Bar Council Vice-Chairman Mohammad Amin Lakhani, SBC member Salahuddin Gandapur, Sindh High Court Bar Association General Secretary Munir-ur-Rehman, High Court Bar Association member Akhtar Hussein, KBA General Secretary Naeem Qureshi, Dr Amna and KBA member Haroon.
The speakers stressed the need to shun all internal differences and join hands for the cause of judiciary and democracy in the country. They vowed to foil all attempts of the rulers to create rifts among them. They said army should go back to barracks and concentrate on its basic duty to protect the country’s borders instead of, what they said, subjugating judiciary and weakening the democratic institutions.
Nine members of the KBA observed a token hunger strike in the city courts. They were Syed Lal Hussein Shah, Khizar Niazi, Ghaus Bakhsh Malik, Syed Tariq Ali Shah, Mohammad Nazir Tanoli, Tariq Mehmood Khwaja, Mohammad Shoaib Abdi and Hassan Nizam.
Lawyers in Malir district also boycotted the courts proceedings for one hour from 10.30 to 11.30. Four members of the Malair Bar Association observed a token hungers trike in the bar room. They were Quaimuddin Khwaja, Zahid Hussain, Haji Khan Mashori and Javaid Akhtar.A meeting of the MBA was held with its president Zahoor Hussain Mehar in the chair which condemned the arrest of Ali Ahmed Kurd.
