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KARACHI, June 30: The lawyers’ community on Saturday asked the judges of different courts across the country to extend full support to their movement for the rule of law; otherwise the judiciary will never be able to resist the unconstitutional steps of the rulers in the future.
During the routine one hour boycott from 10.30am to 11.30am against the suspension of Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry, the Karachi Bar Association (KBA) held a general body meeting at the Shuhada-i-Punjab Hall, which was addressed by General-Secretary Naeem Qureshi, Chaudhry Abdul Sattar, Naheed Afzaal and Umer Hayat Sindhu.
The speakers said that the lawyers had no designs to take personal advantage of the movement and their struggle was aimed purely at securing the rule of law, independence of the judiciary and the strengthening of democratic institutions in the country.
They said the judiciary was an important pillar of the state and its independence was a need of all citizens including judges, journalists, lawyers, traders and even hand-cart pushers, adding that the judiciary in the executive’s control could not provide relief to the downtrodden people of society.
Parties criticised
The speakers criticised the role political parties played in the past. They advised them to take a united stand on national issues in the best interests of the nation, in support of an independent judiciary, and for the strengthening of democracy in the country.
Govt ‘failure’ during rains
The lawyers criticised the government for its failure to secure the lives of the people in the rain-affected areas across the country and said that the government was bound to provide facilities to the people on an emergency basis.
It was said that the country was heading towards destruction as the government officials —from the bottom up — were not taking their duties seriously and the worst sufferers were the poor, who were always encircled by numerous problems.
‘A.Q. Khan’s services’
Recalling the services of nuclear scientist Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan, they said the government should give due respect and privileges to him, adding that his services to the county could not be forgotten.
They criticised certain media organisations for playing down events regarding the lawyers’ movement and said only a few organisations were fulfilling their responsibilities and thus inviting the wrath of the rulers.
They stressed the need for all people belonging to different fields to join hands and support the lawyers’ movement so that the judiciary could be liberated from the clutches of the military rulers forever.
Lawyers in the Sindh High Court, the City Courts and
Malir District Courts continued observing a token hunger strike as part of their ongoing movement.
