November 25, 2007	Sunday	Ziqa’ad 14, 1428

LAHORE, Nov 24: Lahore Bar Association (LBA) President Syed Muhammad Shah and vice-president Iftikhar Ali Bhatti, who were released on Friday night after a two-week detention, on Saturday vowed to continue their struggle for what they called the establishment of rule of law, supremacy of the Constitution and independence of the judiciary.

Both the LBA office-bearers were speaking at a hunger-strike camp set up at Aiwan-i-Adl to protest maltreatment of lawyers in the wake of imposition of emergency and Provisional Constitution Order.

Lawyers showered rose petals to welcome their leaders amid clapping and high-pitched “go Musharraf go” slogans in the background when Mr Shah and Mr Bhatti turned up at Aiwan-i-Adl on Saturday morning.

Addressing their fellows, Shah and Bhatti said the government had failed to intimidate lawyers despite subjecting them to worst form of terrorism and putting them behind bars in far-flung jails. They said the government’s excesses had rather inculcated unity and determination among lawyers.

They demanded the release of deposed Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry’s panel of lawyers consisting of Aitzaz Ahsan, Munir A Malik, Tariq Mahmood and Ali Ahmad Kurd besides local lawyers Ijaz Khan, Umar Hayat Sindhu, Mian Abdul Qadus and Latif Sarra within 24 hours.

Meanwhile, an LBA meeting has decided to continue boycotting court proceedings until the release of all the detained lawyers. LBA secretaries Khawar Bashir and Shamim-ur-Rehman Malik also attended the meeting.

They said that a general house meeting of the bar would be held on Monday to plan further course of action.

SCBA adviser: Supreme Court Bar Association media adviser advocate Mohammad Azhar Siddique has announced contesting of elections after his release from Kasur district jail.

Talking to newsmen, he said he would contest polls from NA-124 and PP-146.—Reporter