May 06, 2007	Sunday	Rabi-us-Sani 18, 1428

KARACHI, May 5: The Muttahida Qaumi Movement on Saturday staged a show of strength at the Press Club here on Friday with a press conference by lawyers belonging to its Legal Aid Committee and a rally at which opposition parties were criticised for “politicising the issue of presidential reference against Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry”.

The main demand of the Legal Aid Committee and the participants in the demonstration was that the Supreme Judicial Council be allowed to function on its own and lawyers should wait for its decision instead of holding protest demonstration with opposition parties.“This constitutional issue of the presidential reference has been converted into a political issue by the opposition parties and certain lawyers’ organisations which are trying to create a crisis-like situation in the country for their ulterior political motives,” said MQM leader Shoaib Bukhari at a press conference held in the backyard of the Karachi Press Club.

A good number of lawyers from all over the province attended the press conference.

Outside the KPC, a large number of MQM workers and supporters staged the demonstration criticising opposition parties and certain lawyers’ bodies for having kept quite in the past over incidents wherein the judiciary came under attack and was now trying to influence the SJC by politicising the issue of the reference.

Carrying party flags, huge portraits of party chief Altaf Hussain and holding placards inscribed with demands like “we want independence of judiciary” or “stop politicising the reference” etc., the demonstrators shouted slogans against the opposition parties.

Barricades were placed to block roads leading to the Karachi Press Club. The MQM workers were seen controlling traffic doing security job, carrying out the body search at points of entry to the roads. Police and paramilitary troops were also deployed.

“Every Pakistani who believes in the supremacy of the Constitution and the law, promotion of democracy and the rule of justice, believes in the independence and autonomy of the judiciary. However, instead of an individual we (MQM Legal Aid Committee) believe in independence and the strengthening and stability of the institution of judiciary,” Mr Bukhari, who is the caretaker of the Legal Aid Committee, said.

Admitting that peaceful protest is the right of every Pakistani, Mr Bukhari, who is also a member of the MQM Coordination Committee, asked why did lawyers’ organisations and opposition parties not run campaigns when Pakistan witnessed several martial laws, civil courts were suspended, courts were compelled to operate under military instructions and civil rights were usurped.

Recalling forced retirement in 2000 of the Chief Justice and 15 other judges of the Supreme and high courts when they refused to take new oath under the Provisional Constitutional Order (PCO), he said why did these lawyers’ bodies and opposition parties not think of launching an agitation for the independence of judiciary.

“Lawyers may continue their peaceful demonstration but should avoid closing down and boycotting courts and must allow the judicial process to continue.”

Answering a question, he said the MQM did not want to politicise the May 12 scheduled visit of CJP Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry to Karachi and would welcome his visit to the city.

He said as a policy matter, the party had already condemned the manner in which the CJP issue had been handled on March 9.

Outside the KPC, Coordination Committee in charge Anwar Alam addressed the participants of the demonstration after the press conference.

Menwhile, Karachi Press Club president Sabihuddin Ghausi has apologised to members of the club who suffered inconvenience, hardship and even humiliation as a press conference booked by the Muttahida Qaumi Movement was turned in to a public meeting, and offered himself for any action to the club’s governing body or the general council.

He said in a statement issued here that people who had parked cars and motorcycles were forced to remove their vehicles by political workers. Members of the club had to listen to political speeches being delivered in the backyard for over four hours. The two roads leading to the club were blocked.

He said the annual general council of the club had taken a decision in December 2006 banning the renting out of the club backyard to any outsider. He said that he was not aware of the permission granted by the KPC to the MQM to hold the event.

MQM leader Shoaib Bukhari offered his apologies to K PC members during the press conference, Mr Ghausi’s statement said.