LAHORE, Jan 16: Former Supreme Court Bar Association president Hamid Khan said on Wednesday the Pakistan Bar Council’s decision to boycott courts one day a week would solve litigants’ problems.

Addressing a press conference in his office, Mr Khan said the decision would not impact lawyers’ struggle for the restoration of the judiciary.

He demanded the ouster of President Pervez Musharraf and the establishment of a national government to conduct fair elections in the country. He said the people implicated in anti-state activities were facing humiliation and misery at the hands of law enforcement agencies because of non-availability of lawyers.

These people should have legal aid at the earliest and lawyers would have to appear before PCO judges, he said. He added the PBC resolutions regarding protest of lawyers were not aimed at withdrawing their stand that Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry and other “deposed” judges the real constitutional judges.

“We do not recognise those judges who took fresh oaths on Dec 15, 2007, after the restoration of so-called constitution having unwanted amendments under the PCO,” he said. He said as far as the legitimacy of general elections was concerned, lawyers did not target any specific group as they were struggling to remove Gen Musharraf.

He said the ouster of Musharraf, restoration of the judiciary, establishment of an independent Election Commission and a national government was essential for free and fair elections in the country. When asked why he was not arrested when all top leaders of lawyers were behind the bars, he said the government had twice issued his detention orders but did implement them.