June 07, 2007	Thursday	Jamadi-ul-Awwal 21, 1428

LAHORE, June 6: Supreme Court Bar Association President Munir A Malik said on Wednesday time had come for the judiciary to work as the ‘A team’ of the people of Pakistan instead of being the ‘B team’ of the army.

“The judiciary has to mend ways by upholding that no one is above law and it is imperative to do away with the doctrine of necessity once and for all,” the bar president, who is also the counsel for the chief justice of Pakistan, was speaking at a reception arranged in his honour by the PML-N lawyers forum.

He pointed out that a wave of change had taken its effect in the superior judiciary as the judges of Punjab, Sindh and the NWFP showed their resentment against the presidential reference by welcoming chief justice in their respective provinces.

“If somebody says the lawyers are politicising the issue of reference against the chief justice, the answer is yes since we believe that politics means issues concerning the affairs of the state.” He asked whether dismissing the chief justice by a military dictator was not a state affair.

He warned the politicians against striking a deal with the military ruler and said they should adopt the principle of “believe in the will of people”. They should go to the people because the final court is the court of people, he said.

He said the CJP had rightly pointed out in his address to the Abbottabad bar that “absolute power corrupts absolutely”.

A large number of lawyers attended the reception and chanted slogans in favour of the CJP and against the military rulers.