June 30, 2007	Saturday	Jamadi-us-Sani 14, 1428

RAWALPINDI, June 29: Sindh High Court Bar Association (SHCBA) President Abrar Hassan was expressed his optimism about the ongoing movement launched by the lawyers for the supremacy of the rule of law and independence of judiciary.

“No threat or challenge whatsoever can wear down this struggle,” said Mr Hassan while recounting the happenings of May 12 before a gathering of lawyers at the Rawalpindi District Bar Association here on Friday.

The SHCBA president was invited to address the Rawalpindi lawyers and express solidarity with them in their struggle which they had launched against the presidential reference against the top judge of the country.

He said the government intentionally tried to sabotage the peaceful address of Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry to the SHCBA by arranging a public rally on the same day. Mr Hassan said he along with the chief justice had planned a grand function in Karachi on March 23 in connection with golden jubilee celebrations of Supreme Court (SC) and that was postponed after March 9 incident. It was then decided that the function would be arranged in the second week of May.

It was the government’s ally that caused bloodshed by holding a rally on the same day. This action of theirs has done them more harm than good as all addresses of the chief justice in other parts of the country had remained peaceful, he said.

The lawyers’ representative claimed that many ministers and high officials threatened him of dire consequences if the address of the chief justice was not cancelled, but he did not yield to the pressure.

Despite all odds on that fateful day more than 1,500 lawyers reached the high court premises and in the process many judges were abused and their vehicles damaged.

Mr Hassan revealed that Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) Chief Altaf Hussain had called him and assured him that his party favoured the struggle of lawyers for independence of judiciary and expressed grave concern over the loss of innocent lives. The MQM committed blunder by holding a rally on May 12 and resorting to violence, he added.

Speaking on the occasion, Vice Chairman Azad Kashmir Bar Council Shaukat Ali Kiani said all lawyers of Azad Kashmir supported the movement of the lawyers and condemned the Karachi killings on May 12. He said the chief justice should soon announce a new date of his visit to Rawalakot to address the lawyers there.