January 02, 2008	Wednesday	Zilhaj 22, 1428

RAWALPINDI, Jan 1: Political workers, lawyers, students, professionals and ordinary citizens held protest rallies in the twin cities on Tuesday to condemn the assassination of PPP leader Benazir Bhutto and press for their demands of civil rights, free media and independent judiciary.

In Rawalpindi, protesting lawyers made their way to Kachari chowk despite the police cordon and chanted anti-government slogans halting the traffic for more than 20 minutes. They were holding banners and placards inscribed with anti-Musharraf and pro-deposed judges slogans.

Before coming out on the road a joint session of Rawalpindi District Bar Association (RDBA) and Lahore High Court Bar Association (LHCBA) was convened to mourn the brutal killing of Pakistan People’s Party chairperson Benazir Bhutto. The joint meeting was presided over by RDBA president Khalid Ismail Abbasi.

Lawyers not only condemned the killing and irresponsible statements of government, they also lambasted the outgoing chief justice of Lahore High Court (LHC) Iftikhar Hussain Chaudhry for his role during the judicial crisis in the country.

LHCBA President Sardar Asmatullah called the CJ’s five years as the blackest period of Punjab judiciary. He said his attitude towards the bar was conspicuously inimical.

Mr Asmatullah said he ordered demolition of lawyers’ chambers in Gujar Khan in 2005 and FIRs were registered against law practitioners on his orders. Mr Hussain was in league with the President in framing charges against the Supreme Court CJ and in post-March 9 judicial crisis, he added.

Senior SC lawyer Ikram Chaudhry speaking on the occasion said some eight corruption references were pending with the Supreme Judicial Council against former Punjab CJ but being close aide of the ruling party he remained unscathed.

Mr Ikram said the outgoing CJ of Lahore High Court never had friendly terms with the bar and he always tried to suppress the voice of the lawyers.

Additional secretary Supreme Court Bar Association Abdul Rasheed Awan said legal fraternity was now more vigilant and aware of the rights of the people. “We have assumed the role of a watch dog and we would raise our voice on every important issue such as assassination of Benazir Bhutto in the country.

Lawyers also offered Fateha and held Quran Khawni for late Ms Bhutto and praised her role in the national politics and for the cause of democracy.

Inamullah Khattak adds: The twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad remained peaceful on Tuesday but the residents continued mourning the tragic death of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto by setting up camps and offering Quran Khwani at various places.

A large number of people visited the site outside Liaquat Bagh where Ms Bhutto was assassinated to pay homage to her.

Senator Babar Awan of the PPP, who also visited the area, regretted that despite peaceful mourning by the party workers the government was hell-bent on delaying the elections. He said the rival political party was making all excuses to escape from the elections.

He appealed to the party workers not to resort to any kind of violence, so that the government could not make any excuse to postpone the polls.

Meanwhile, traders displayed banners outside their shops inscribed with sympathetic words for Ms Bhutto.

PPP leader Agha Riazul Islam told Dawn that the party workers were not involved in any kind of violence in the twin cities.

In reply to a question as to why shops in some localities were still closed, he said traders did not trust police security in view of the merciless killing of Ms Bhutto.