May 11, 2007	Friday	Rabi-us-Sani 23, 1428

ISLAMABAD, May 10: Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry on Thursday condemned firing at SCBA President Munir A Malik. Mr Malik escaped unhurt as unidentified gunmen fired shots at his Karachi house in the early hours of May 10. The police found 15 bullets from the site.

The CJ telephoned Mr Malik and said such incidents are aimed at sabotaging independence of judiciary, which must be stopped.

A day earlier, Mr Malik’s office in Karachi was sealed by the Karachi Building Control Authority officials, which was later unsealed at the orders of the Sindh High Court.

Meanwhile, Sindh Chief Justice Mr Justice Sabihuddin Ahmed on Thursday went to the house of Munir A Malik and inquired after his health and strongly condemned the gruesome act.

SCBA: Former president Supreme Court Bar Association and counsel for the chief justice, Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry Tariq Mehmood said firing on the house of SCBA President Munir A Malik was a dastardly act alleging it was all being done with the blessing of the government to intimidate the counsels of the chief justice.

Addressing a press conference, he said rulers would not succeed in their conspiracy at any cost.

He said chief justice would address Sindh High Court Bar as per schedule on May 12. Lawyers’ movement would not calm down in the face of mean tactics being adopted by the government. He was confident that the campaign would gain momentum. “We are peace loving people and will not deviate from the path of adherence to law. We have not come in open for the sake of an individual and rather we have launched this movement for the rule of law.

Attacking the house of Munir A Malik is a cowardly act, he said. Sindh government should arrest the accused forthwith. Munir A Malik is being punished for representing chief justice in the court.

SCBA additional secretary Sardar Mohammad Ghazi demanded of the government to arrest the accused involved in firing and award them exemplary punishment.

In a statement he said SCBA would be holding rally on May 12 for the rule of law and revival of constitution. Both federal and Sindh governments should take special security measures for this rally to avert any untoward incident.

This movement would continue unless the rule of law was established in the country, he underscored.

IBA: Islamabad Bar Association (IBA) formally adopted a resolution to condemn the incident of firing on the house and sealing the office of the President, Supreme Court Bar Association, Munir A. Malik advocate.

President IBA, Haroon-ur-Rasheed advocate called an emergency meeting of general body of the association and adopted a resolution to condemn the mean incident, says a press release. Secretary General IBA, Syed Muhammad Tayyab Advocate said that IBA, in resolution, demanded of the government to take notice of the incident and file case against the miscreants to take them to task.

IBA also demanded of the government to arrange security measures on May 12 for the participants of the rally in Karachi. The members of IBA said that they are fighting for independence and honour of judiciary.

PPP: The Pakistan Peoples Party strongly condemned firing at Munir A Malik’s residence.

“This is a cowardly act at its best”, said Sherry Rehman, the central information secretary, Pakistan People’s Party. “This is a clear evidence of the state of panic that the regime finds itself in, following the mass movement that the judicial crisis has triggered.”

Expressing shock at the blatant use of harassment tactics against lawyers in general, and Mr Malik in particular, Rehman said that the rulers have become so shameless that they do not even feel the need to hide their resentment against the judiciary.

Ms Rehman observed that the regime’s efforts to sabotage the chief justice’s rally in Karachi on May 12 was a clear indication that it was incapable of sustaining the unprecedented show of public anger that followed the filing of the March 9 reference.”

Expressing solidarity with the lawyers’ community, Ms Rehman said that the PPP fully backs the lawyers’ movement to fight the establishment’s interference in the affairs of the judiciary.”—Agencies

Our Correspondent adds from Attock: Lawyers observed a complete strike here on Thursday, to condemn the firing on the residence of Chief Justice’s Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry’s counsel, renowned lawyer Munir A Malik, in Karachi on Wednesday night.

They boycotted court proceedings completely and also observed a token hunger strike in the bar room and demanded the immediate arrest of those involved in the firing..

Talking to local newsmen, the current and former presidents of the district bar association (DBA), Rana Afsar Ali Khan, Sheikh Ehsan, respectively, and other advocates termed Wednesday’s attack on Mr Malik’s residence a pre-planned attempt to threaten other lawyers against participating in the ongoing protests against the government, on the issue of suspension of the chief justice.

They said the rulers had “lost their senses and are committing one mistake after another, which will ultimately aggravate the judicial crisis.”

THANKSGIVING DAY: Lawyers also observed a Youm-i-Tashakur — ‘thanksgiving day’— to celebrate the Supreme Court order staying the proceedings of the Supreme Judicial Council and vowed to continue their struggle until the reinstatement of the CJP and restoration of constitution in the country.