October 31, 2007	Wednesday	Shawwal 18, 1428

ISLAMABAD, Oct 30: The newly-elected president of the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA), Barrister Aitzaz Ahsan, on Tuesday said his landslide victory over a government-sponsored candidate was a referendum against what he termed Gen Musharraf’s illegitimate rule.

Talking to mediapersons on the Supreme Court premises, he said the superior judiciary might also judge from his victory as to what the people of Pakistan were expecting of it.

He said he was grateful to all the opposition parties for reposing confidence in him in the elections which he said were the most transparent, free and fair.

He said people were fed up with military intervention in politics and were concerned about the law and order breakdown in the tribal areas and the continuing insurgency and military operation in Balochistan.

Mr Aitzaz hoped that the stage for use of resistance would not come if the courts continued to work in accordance with the wishes of the people. However, he asked the lawyers’ community to come to the streets once again if anyone tried to pressure the judiciary and threatened to impose martial law in the country.

He said if anyone tried to impose the infamous law of necessity through arm twisting tactics, the lawyers would resist the move peacefully.

Replying to a question, he said he would contest the next general elections from the PPP platform from NA 124. To another query, he said he had received congratulatory telephone calls from exiled former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, former opposition leader Maulana Fazlur Rahman and Asif Ali Zardari. About Benazir Bhutto, he thought she might be too much preoccupied with her schedule and could not find time to ring him up.