FAISALABAD, Nov 12: The district bar association has announced that it will `forcibly’ remove police siege of the district courts’ premises on Nov 13 (today) and stage a protest rally against the proclamation of emergency.

A decision to the effect was taken at a general house meeting of the bar held at an undisclosed location with its president Tanvir Randhawa in the chair on Monday.

It will be the first protest by the district bar after the emergency rule, however lawyers had already staged demonstrations in other parts of the country. Not a single bar office-bearer had been detained so far, sources said.

The general house meeting unanimously adopted a resolution against the police siege of district courts and vowed to resist if police force was not withdrawn immediately.

Addressing the meeting, senior lawyers Mohammad Ikram, Rafiq Batalwi, Mohammad Akram Khaksar, Changez Khan, Nasir Ali and others said President Gen Pervez Musharraf imposed emergency only to perpetuate his military rule and purge judiciary of independent judges who were not ready to join hands with him. They said lawyers would continue their struggle for the independence of judiciary and restoration of the Constitution, come what may.

They urged political parties and people from different spheres of life to join lawyers against state oppression.

Bar joint secretary Nadeem Salimi said the police were not allowing lawyers to enter the district courts’ premises even a week after the proclamation of emergency.

“Being the educated people we did not respond aggressively. Now we are going to take back our home,” he said.