KARACHI, July 17: Lawyers belonging to various political parties have decided to form an All-Parties Democratic Alliance to play an effective role in the next elections and extend legal support to the parties fighting against the military-led government in the country.
Members of the proposed alliance Arshad Khan Jadoon, president of Pakistan Muslim League (N) Lawyers’ Wing, and Mushtaq Ahmed Awan, president of the National People’s Lawyers’ Forum, told reporters that a date for holding a joint meeting would be announced within a couple of days.
They said the lawyers representing the Pakistan People’s Party would not be invited to the meeting as they were supporting President Pervez Musharraf while the rest of the opposition parties were opposing him.
They said a line of action had already been decided by the leaders of the political parties and they would follow the policies of strengthening of democratic institutions, the rule of law and the independence of the judiciary.
Mr Awan said the government had failed to come up to the expectations of the people and the rulers had no right to remain in power any longer, saying that a solution to the problems was setting up of a neutral caretaker government with the aim of holding fair elections in the country.
“How can the people tolerate the rulers who have plundered the donations of billions of rupees meant for the development of the earthquake-hit areas?” he wondered.
He said that scores of girls studying in the Jamia Hafsa had gone missing and their whereabouts were still unknown.
