December 21, 2007	Friday	Zilhaj 10, 1428

ISLAMABAD, Dec 20: Justice (retd) Tariq Mehmood says he is determined to continue the struggle till the restoration of the pre-emergency judiciary and announced that he will accompany deposed Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry to the Faisal Mosque for Eid prayers.

The former president of the Supreme Court Bar Association was among three prominent lawyers who had been under house arrest but were released on Thursday by the Punjab government on a three-day parole to celebrate Eid.

Immediately after his release, Justice Mehmood went to the press club. However, freedom proved to be short lived for him and he said he had been taken back to his house by the Islamabad police after attending the journalists’ protest outside the Melody Press Club.

Mr Mehmood assured the media that the lawyer’s community would never compromise in their struggle for the independence of judiciary.

He told Dawn on telephone that he was not being allowed to leave his residence even though Barrister Aitzaz Ahsan had been roaming around Lahore freely.

He clarified that his release on parole was not the result of any application or request.

Meanwhile, a source close to the deposed chief justice informed Dawn that five detained judges, Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry, Justice Sardar Mohammad Raza Khan, Justice Mian Shakirullah Jan, Justice Nasirul Mulk and Justice Chaudhry Ijaz would leave the judges enclave at 7:30am to offer Eid prayers at the Faisal Mosque.

Also on Thursday, Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry said in a statement that caretaker interior minister’s announcement that he would be released for three days was in itself an admission on the part of the government that he had been under house arrest.

The statement denied that he, the deposed chief justice, had applied for release to celebrate Eid, but added that he had told security man deployed at his house to make arrangements for him to offer prayers.