LAHORE, Jan 24: Lawyers seem divided over the issue of boycott of the judges appointed under the Provisional Constitution Order (PCO) as Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) Secretary-General Chaudhry Amin Javed stirred the controversy on Thursday when he refuted a bar’s statement issued on Wednesday favouring the complete boycott of PCO-judges.

The media reported that Mr Javed had favoured the complete boycott of PCO-judges while addressing the general house of the LHCBA on Wednesday.

The SCBA secretary’s denial came from the platform of the LHCBA, whose president, Ahsan Bhoon, is known for opposing the majority of lawyers to persuade political parties against contesting the elections.

The controversy might fuel division among lawyers over the issue of boycott of elections. One group of the lawyers says the boycott will give Gen Musharraf (retired) a free hand to manipulate the situation and tailor the assembly according to his needs.

Those against the argument believe that Musharraf will have the elections rigged anyway as politicians are willing to play on his pitch. They want a national government, appointment of an independent election commission and above all the restoration of deposed judges as pre-requisites to the holding of the elections.

But SCBA Vice-President Ghulam Nabi Bhatti at a press conference owned the bar statement on boycott. He said Javed himself had written the statement for the press after the meeting of the SCBA.

Bhatti said the statement was issued on Wednesday after his meeting with members of the executive committee Rana Farman Ali Sabir and Khwaja Tariq Sohail.—Reporter