February 01, 2008	Friday	Muharram 22, 1429

BAHAWALPUR, Jan.31: Deposed Lahore High Court (LHC) justice Jahangir Arshad has criticised caretaker ministers Afzal Haider and Ansar Burney and Attorney General Muhammad Qayyum. He said the ministers had joined the government, which was a black spot on them.

He said this while addressing the oath-taking ceremony of District Bar Association (DBA) officials at Bar Room here on Thursday.

Another LHC deposed judge Shahid Hussain Siddiqui was also present.

The ceremony was followed by a protest rally to mark the ‘Iftikhar Day’, led by DBA President Yahyah Khan.

Justice Arshad said that before joining the caretaker setup, the two gentlemen had been raising slogans for human rights. Now, they were working for the violators of human rights. He urged the lawyers to pass resolutions against these two ministers to express their hatred against them for their double standard.

He said under article 6 of the constitution, one who abrogated the constitution was guilty of treason and is to be hanged publicly.

The deposed judge said he was not interested in his restoration and instead he would like to be a witness when the case of abrogation of the constitution would be launched.

He said Mr Qayyum had damaged the judiciary. He warned the issue of abrogation of the constitution would not be decided through dialogues but constitutionally.

He said that those guilty of the crisis of the judiciary would reach their logical end. He said the whereabouts of recently retired LHC chief justice Chaudhry Iftikhar Hussain were not known to anyone because such people could not face the public. He criticised the government for detaining Supreme Court Bar Association President Aitzaz Ahsan. He said as he was still the LHC judge, he ordered the government to release him.

Mr Arshad urged political parties to break their silence over the reinstatement of judges. He said that the parties should insist on the reinstatement of judges as result of Nov 3 emergency instead of demanding an independent judiciary. He said if the pre-Nov 3 judiciary was not restored, no government would survive in the country.

Mr Arshad praised lawyers’ struggle for the restoration of judiciary. He said he did not accept the removal of the judges because under article 208 of the constitution, only the Supreme Judicial Council was empowered to do so.

Speaking as chief guest, Justice Shahid Siddiqui said he had not taken oath under the Provisional Constitution Order for the protection of the judiciary and integrity of Pakistan. He said army dictators from Ayub Khan to Pervez Musharraf had distorted the constitution. He said the new chief of army staff should rise to the occasion and confine the army to barracks. He said had any one hanged for breaking the constitution, no one would have abrogated the constitution.

He said they respected the army but it had no legal right to govern the country. He said lawyers’ movement would not end before achieving its objectives.

DBA President Yahyah Khan, Ijaz Chaudhry and Bilal Qazi also addressed the ceremony.

On the arrival of the deposed judges, lawyers welcomed them warmly at GPO Chowk and brought them in a procession amid slogans against the government, President Musharraf and for Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry.

RIGGING: Two PPP candidates — Safdar Shehbaz (PP-271) and Tatheerul Hassan (PP-272) — told a press conference Tehsil Municipal Administration officials were campaigning for PML-Q candidates.

They also accused their rival candidates of damaging their posters and banners. They said they had complained to the returning officers but no action had so far been taken.