KARACHI: Lawyers drop strike plan for today, announce celebrations
By Ali Hazrat Bacha
KARACHI, May 8: Lawyers in Sindh High Court, the City Courts and Malir District Courts stayed away from the court proceedings for one hour from 10.30am to 11.30am and observed a token hunger strike in their respective bars against the suspension of the chief justice by President Musharraf.
Members of the Karachi Bar Association gathered at the hunger strike camp and shouted pro-judiciary slogans. They also raised slogans against the presidential reference and violence against lawyers in parts of Punjab.
Expressing satisfaction over the stay order issued by Supreme Court, KBA General Secretary Naeem Qureshi said the order for halting the proceedings in the Supreme Judicial Council was a good omen for lawyers. He said strike was earlier announced for May 9, which was fixed as the day of hearing by the Supreme Judicial Council, but with the stay order halting the proceedings of presidential reference lawyers would celebrate the day.
He said the government wished the campaign be called off and various tactics were being used for the purpose. Lawyers would not succumb to any pressure, he said and maintained that their struggle would continue for the supremacy of judiciary.
He appreciated services of the lawyers across the country and said they made a history for running such a prolonged peaceful campaign.
KBA President Iftikhar Javaid Qazi told reporters that weekly lectures on Quran by religious scholar and KBA member Syed Shoa-un-Nabi advocate would be arranged on Fridays during the one-hour boycott from 10.30am to 11.30am.
Pakistan Muslim League (N) Lawyers’ Forum President Arshad Jadoon said lawyers were fully united to fight for the independence of judiciary and would run the campaign against military dictators till the reinstatement of the chief justice. He said lawyers would give a warm welcome to the chief justice on his arrival here on May 12.
Meanwhile, four members of the Sindh High Court Bar Association observed a token hunger strike at the bar room. They were Sati M. Ishaq, Sardar Ayaz, Qari Mohammad Subhan Sharif and Sanaullah Qamar.
Eight members of the KBA Mohammad Sharif Shaikh, Mursalin Khan Tanoli, Abrar Khan Baloch, Mohammad Iqbal Arain, Shafiq Ahmed, Naveed Salim, Rana Imran and Tajuddin Qureshi observed hunger strike at the City Courts.Four members of Malir Bar Association Uzma, Ali-ur-Rehman, Hujatullah and Amanullah Khan also observed a token hunger strike at the bar room.
Malir Bar Association President Zahoor Hussain Mehar said earlier a full day strike was announced for today (Wednesday), but with the Supreme Court’s stay order on the proceedings of presidential reference in the Supreme Judicial Council there was no need of full day strike. However, he said the routine one-hour boycott from the court proceedings and token hunger strike would continue.
IJT: Students would take out rallies from various educational institutions to accord a warm welcome to the chief justice on his visit to Karachi on May 12.
Islami Jamiat Talba has announced that it would set up welcome camps on the route from airport to the high court building to show their support to the ongoing struggle for the supremacy of judiciary.
