KARACHI: Lawyers oppose deployment of troops in NWFP
By A Reporter
KARACHI, July 17: The legal fraternity on Tuesday expressed concern over the deployment of troops in different districts of the NWFP and asked the government to confine their movement to the barracks, otherwise it would worsen the poor law and order situation in the country.
Pakistan Bar Council member Mohammad Yaseen Azad in his speech at a general body meeting of the Sindh High Court Bar Association at the bar room criticised the government for deploying the army in the settled districts of the NWFP and termed it a bad omen for the country’s integrity.
He said the deployment of the army had panicked the local people and they had started shifting from their native villages to other areas as they were no longer considering their areas safe for living.
He warned that if the government opted to launch an operation, it would further complicate the existing problems and stressed that the rulers should avoid taking dictation from America and take steps in the best interests of their own country.
Withdrawal of references
About the presidential reference, he said it was up to the government to withdraw it, adding that the government should either withdraw the reference or let it be decided on merit. He suggested that the Supreme Court take a decision which could prevent violations of the constitution and weaken the judiciary.
SHCBA President Abrar Hasan said the withdrawal of parts of the presidential reference was a proof that the reference was prepared in haste and was a blunder. He said it also proved that the morale of the rulers was falling and it was a triumph of the lawyers’ and other democratic people of the country.
He said the reference was aimed at taking revenge on the CJP, who had taken suo motu notices of various issues and later refused to tender resignation when asked by President Pervez Musharraf.
Non-stop movement
SHCBA Joint Secretary Ahmed Nafees Osmani said the credit went to the lawyers as they were running a non-stop movement for the independence of the judiciary at the cost of their personal loss to work for the larger interest of the nation. He said time was not far off when the lawyers would achieve their goal.
Lala Ameen also criticised President Pervez Musharraf and his allies and said the lawyers’ movement would succeed. He flayed those lawyers who defended the presidential reference and said they were morally bound to oppose the government instead of supporting it.
The Karachi Bar Association also held a general body meeting in the Shuhda-i-Punjab Hall of the City Courts. It was attended among others by KBA Vice-President Qadir Khan.
The KBA also opposed the deployment of army in various districts of the frontier province and said that by doing so the government would add to its problems. They said the people were already agitating against the military operations in the tribal agencies, Balochistan and Lal Masjid and any further irresponsible step could aggravate the situation in the sensitive areas.
The speakers proposed that the army should not interfere in the country’s political affairs and instead concentrate on its professional duties.
They condemned the inference of the United States in the internal affairs of Pakistan and asked the government to stop taking dictation from the anti-Muslim states.
About the possible reinstatement of the Chief Justice, they said their struggle would continue until the slogan of ‘Go Musharraf Go’ materialised.
They accused the government of weakening the state institutions by adopting, what they described as, unconstitutional measures and pledged that the lawyers would not remain silent on the issues of national interest.
It was alleged that the two main secret agencies, the ISI and the MI, wrangling with each other, were responsible for the deteriorating law and order situation in the country.
The speakers also criticised the Muttahida Qaumi Movement for supporting the military operations and asked the MQM leadership to remember the time when they were complaining against the army and it were lawyers who had provided them free legal aid.
They said Pervez Musharraf and the MQM were responsible for the killing of innocent people on May 12, and added that the opponents had failed to sabotage the lawyers’ movement even by using armed forces against them.
In line with a decision of the Pakistan Bar Council, the legal fraternity on Tuesday continued its hour-long boycott of courts proceedings from 10.30am to 11.30am against the presidential reference against Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry.
Batches of lawyers in the SHC, the City Courts and the Malir District Courts observed a token hunger strike to register their protest against the suspension of the CJ.
