October 24, 2007	Wednesday	Shawwal 11, 1428

PESHAWAR, Oct 23: The country faces numerous challenges as the military intends to stay in power by all means, according to Aitzaz Ahsan.

Addressing on Tuesday a gathering of the members of Peshawar High Court Bar Association and Peshawar District Bar Association, Mr Ahsan urged lawyers to mount a campaign similar to the one they had launched in support of Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry.

He was in Peshawar on the invitation of the aforementioned bar associations, as he has been declared their consensus candidate for the elections of the Supreme Court Bar Association, scheduled for October 27.

Mr Ahsan said the bar was the only forum in the country having plurality, diversity and unity. He was accompanied by noted lawyers Hamid Khan, Ali Ahmad Kurd, Imdad Awan, and Sakhi Sultan.

Mr Ahsan paid tribute to the lawyers of the NWFP, saying they played a vital role in the reinstatement of Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry.

Mr Ahsan said the country’s future appeared to be bleak and more challenges were in store for the lawyers.

“Military operations in various areas, especially Balochistan, will definitely affect the situation in other parts of the country. Unless all the stakeholders sit together and take consensus decisions these crises will not be resolved.”

He was of the opinion that the forces introducing terrorism in politics were gaining ground whereas the forces of tolerance and love were on the decline.

He also paid tribute to the outgoing SCBA cabinet, led by Munir A. Malik, and said they had created history by defeating an army general. He added that if elected it would be his endeavour to follow in the footsteps of Mr Malik’s cabinet and strive for the unity of lawyers.

On the occasion, president of PHCBA Abdul Lateef Afridi said except nine lawyers, all the 8,000 lawyers in the province stood by the chief justice.

Hamid Khan called upon the lawyers to vote for the entire panel of Mr Ahsan. He said unless Mr Ahsan’s entire panel was voted in, the lawyers would not be able to mount an effective campaign for the rule of law in the country.