ISLAMABAD, Dec 17: The Pakistan Bar Council on Monday declared the 42-day emergency rule as the darkest-era in the constitutional history of the country and resolved to continue the boycott of superior courts.

Presided over by Vice Chairman Mirza Aziz Akbar Baig, the council urged all political parties to demand restoration of the pre-emergency judiciary in their manifestos and not to validate any action taken by President Pervez Musharraf since Nov 3.

The council rejected the proclamation of emergency, Provisional Constitution Order, Oath of Office (Judges) Order of Nov 3, Revocation of Emergency Order of Dec 15 and the Legal Practitioners and Bar Councils Ordinance, 2007.

A resolution adopted at the meeting rejected all actions taken by President Musharraf and his government at the national and provincial levels.

It asked lawyers to continue their boycott of the present judges and said the PBC would meet again to decide a future course of action.

The resolution paid rich tribute to Supreme Court Bar Association president Aitzaz Ahsan, former PBC vice chairman Ali Ahmed Kurd, council members Mohammad Ramzan Chaudhry and Mohammad Yousuf Leghari, and all lawyers who withdrew their nomination papers on the call of the council.

The council demanded immediate release of apex court and high court judges, including Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry and senior lawyers.

It praised Justice (retd) Rana Bhagwandas for his contributions to the rule of law, restoration of Constitution, independence of judiciary and said that the senior judge should be honoured by all bar associations in the country.

The PBC said it feared that the Jan 8 polls would be rigged.

PBC members Safirullah Khan, Haji Syed Rahman, Fazal-i-Haq Abbasi, Chaudhry Mohammad Ashraf Wahlah, Sardar Mohammad Latif Khosa, Mohammad Ahsan Bhoon, Syed Qalb-i-Hassan, Mohammad Ramzan Chaudhry, Hamid Khan, Asrar-ul-Haq Mian, Rasheed A. Razvi, Abu’l Inam, Mohammad Yasin Azad and Farooq H. Naek attended the meeting.