September 01, 2007	Saturday	Sha’aban 18, 1428

LAHORE, Aug 31: The Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) warns that any political party allowing Gen Pervez Musharraf another stint in power will have to face lawyers’ wrath.

Addressing a press conference on Friday, SCBA Vice President Sahibzada Anwar Hameed said lawyers had decided to convert their movement for the independence of judiciary into a struggle for the restoration of rule of law and the constitution.

The National Committee of All Pakistan Lawyers will meet on Sept 2 to finalise the modalities of the movement against Gen Musharraf.

He said lawyers would resist any attempt by the government to reduce the age limit for judges. He added politicians trying to find shortcuts to power corridor should rise above their personal interests to safeguard the interest of people.

He said the lawyers wanted to see next general elections free and planned to monitor the process to check undue interference of the government in polling.

He said no one was above the law, and lawyers had never demanded abolishing cases against politicians. He said rule of law required all cases be tried impartially but the element of victimisation, which was often found in political cases, must be ended.

He said political parties were welcome to participate in the movement. He said workers of political parties were opposed to striking any deal with the establishment.

SCBA Secretary Syed Zulfiqar Ali Bokhari said Gen Musharraf was unacceptable to lawyers with or without uniform.

He said if the government tried to stop the Sharifs from returning home, the lawyers would protest against the government for not implementing the verdict of the Supreme Court.

SCBA Media Adviser Muhammad Azhar said lawyer would assume their movement from Sep 3 with the same spirit as had been witnessed in the movement against the presidential reference.

He said Aitzaz Ahsan, Hamid Khan, Munir A Malik and Justice Tariq Mahmood (retired) would court arrest against the attempts aimed at perpetuating the dictatorship. He said the SCBA would not receive Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Nawaz Sharif on his return. But PML-N lawyers would receive him.

Khwaja Tariq Sohail said the ruling PML’s survival in the coming days hinged completely on Gen Musharraf’s uniform.