January 23, 2008	Wednesday	Muharram 13, 1429

LAHORE, Jan 22: The All Punjab Lawyers’ Representatives Convention decided on Tuesday that those who took oath under the Nov 3 Provisional Constitution Order (PCO) could never be recognised as legitimate judges and sought a complete boycott of any proceedings before them.

The convention, arranged by the Punjab Bar Council (PbBC) at its Fane Road building, unanimously passed a resolution against the judges working after the imposition of Nov 3 emergency. They urged political parties to boycott the elections, which, according to them, were to be rigged because of presence of Gen Pervez Musharraf (retired).

The convention was to be presided over by Justice Rana Bhagwandas but he could not make to the event because of, what former Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) president Hamid Khan said, “unannounced yet visible restrictions on his movement”.

The convention asked political parties, civil society organisations, students and the media to continue their participation in lawyers’ struggle for the restoration of 1973 Constitution and the reinstatement of the judiciary to its pre-Nov-3 status.

The 14 resolutions, adopted at the convention, included immediate reinstatement of all ‘deposed’ judges of the Supreme Court and high courts.

The house called the judges who did not take oath under the PCO the heroes of the whole nation and condemned their eviction from official residences.

The convention demanded that the Pakistan Bar Council review its decision about restricting protest and boycott of courts to Thursdays. It demanded lawyers be allowed to observe full boycott of the PCO-judges, organise hunger strike camps and protest rallies.

They condemned the assassination of PPP chairperson Benazir Bhutto calling it a conspiracy against the federation. They condemned the government’s highhandedness towards chief justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, and justices Rana Bhagwandas, Khalilur Rehman Ramday, M.A. Shahid Siddiqi and Khwaja Muhammad Sharif.

Lawyers slammed the government for detaining “deposed” judges and not allowing them to offer Eid prayers and depriving their children of their basic right of getting education and medical facilities.

The convention also demanded immediate release of all detained lawyers, including SCBA President Aitzaz Ahsan, former SCBA presidents Munir A Malik and Justice Tariq Mehmood (retired), Ali Ahmad Kurd, Baz Mohammad Kakar, Hadi Shakeel Ahmad, members of civil societies and political activists. They demanded withdrawal of cases against them.

They vowed to continue their struggle “despite all such unconstitutional steps and state terrorism”.