June 22, 2007	Friday	Jamadi-us-Sani 06, 1428

BAHAWALPUR, June 21: Thirteen lawyers, including two women, left on foot for Multan on Thursday to attend a reception there for Supreme Court Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry on Saturday.

They will walk 100 kilometres in three days and reach Multan tomorrow eveing. The delegation, led by Advocate Zahidur Rehman Tayyub, was seen off by several lawyers at the Farid Gate before the termination of a protest rally.

Other lawyers in the delegation include Kausar Bhatti, Amara Tasneam Bhutta, Malik Ayyaz Kuliar, Rana Arshad, Farhan Qureshi, Sardar Saqib Channar, Muhammad Saleem Maitla, Khair Muhammad Abbasi, Malik Faiz Bakhsh, Zulfiqar Ahmed, Yasin and Khalid Mahmood Gill.

Separately, lawyers at a divisional convention here on Thursday vowed to continue their movement till the reinstatement of the chief justice, independence of the judiciary and rule of law.

At the ‘Lawyers’ democratic convention’ under the aegis of the Seminar and Symposium Committee of the Punjab Bar Council and the District Bar Association, Pakistan Bar Council Vice-Chairman Mirza Aziz Baig said the chief justice’s ‘historic stand’ and lawyers’ struggle were meant for the judiciary’s independence and rule of law. He said that lawyers from Karachi to Khyber were united and all government efforts to divide them would fail.

Punjab Bar Council (PbBC) Vice-Chairman Tariq Javed Warraich rejected the government’s allegations regarding funds for the lawyers’ movement. He said that bars were getting funds from their respective bodies. He said that those expelled from various bars could file appeals with the PbBC. He criticised the Lahore High Court chief justice for his alleged corruption, misuse of powers and favouritism.

PbBC Executive Committee Chairman Arbab Ahmed Syed said the government was exploiting the name of south Punjab to weaken lawyers and added that lawyers were being harassed.