LAHORE, Nov 28: The bar councils have announced observing Thursday as a black day in protest against oath of Gen Pervez Musharraf (retired) as president of Pakistan. Where the Lahore Bar Association (LBA) announced taking out a protest rally, the Lahore High Court Bar Association (LHCBA) restricted itself to observing the black-day, besides hoisting black flags atop the bar premises.

In addition to protest, the Punjab Bar Council (PbBC), the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) and the Lahore Bar Association (LBA) also condemned amendments to Legal Practitioners and Bar Councils Act 1973.

In a statement issued here on Wednesday, LHCBA secretary Sarfraz Ahmad Cheema said that amendments to the act were unconstitutional and would not be accepted at any cost because these were aimed at harming the lawyers’ movement.

He said lawyers would foil the government’s attempt to deprive judges of the Supreme Court and high courts of their official residences.He said lawyers stood united and would continue their struggle till the restoration of the Constitution and judges.

Lawyers, he said, would continue holding hunger-strike camps daily from 10.30am to 2pm. He thanked civil society members, journalists and students for showing solidarity with them.

Mr Cheema said that lawyers and honorable judges were engaged in a battle for freeing judiciary from the influence of the executives and restoring the Constitution.

Participation of students in the struggle was important and a welcome sign that the resistance against army’s role in politics was being condemned from all shades of society.

He said the lawyers backed the journalists’ movement for the press freedom, and urged the government to let GEO resume its transmission.