LAHORE, March 2: Supreme Court Bar Association president Aitzaz Ahsan warned parliamentarians on Sunday that if they did not reinstate the deposed judges, they themselves could meet the same fate one day.

He was addressing people who gathered outside his Zaman Park residence after his four-month detention ended after the last restraining order issued by the Punjab government had lapsed.

“We don’t buy the idea that someone could suspend parliament, arrest the parliamentarians, amend the Constitution and say now go to parliament for a solution,” Mr Ahsan said.

He said that proponents of the theory that the illegal steps taken on Nov 3 could not be reversed without parliament were, in fact, justifying the illegality.

“They are trying to mislead parliament for which we want to ensure a full tenure,” Mr Ahsan added.

“Don’t blame us if the parliament failed to restore the judges and the parliamentarians got arrested tomorrow. I am sure nobody would raise a voice.”

He said his message was: “Give the people their judges back.”

He said all the deposed judges could resume work if the interior minister issued an order.

He said that the deposed chief justice, Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry, was still confined to his residence along with his school-going children. “Mohtarma Shaheed Benazir Bhutto, while standing in front of the barbed residence of the chief justice on Dec 10, had stated that Iftikhar Chaudhry was still the Chief Justice of Pakistan,” he recalled and said that the late prime minister wanted to launch a long march but was detained.

He said the lawyers laid stress on the long march because they wanted restoration of the pre-November 3 emergency to strengthen parliament.

“If anyone is to be weakened by the long march, it would be Gen Musharraf and his aides who need a compliant judiciary,” the SCBA chief said.

He said the lawyers wanted parliament to restore the judiciary and the Constitution and to give complete freedom of expression to the media.

He said if parliament failed to fulfil the demand, the lawyers would issue a fresh date for the long march.

He said if the lawyers needed to execute their plan for the march, not only the deposed but retired judges also would accompany them to Islamabad. The lawyers would converge from all directions and gather in Islamabad to free the deposed chief justice and all other judges.

Mr Ahsan said the lawyers would observe a black week from March 9, the date on which the chief justice was first detained last year, hoist black flags and hold conventions. He asked students to come forward and participate in the campaign for the restoration of judges.

He said he would go to Naudero on Monday to visit Ms Bhutto’s grave. Answering a question, Mr Ahsan said he had supported Makhdoom Amin Fahim’s name for the prime minister’s post but would go along with the party’s decision in this regard.

Later, he marched to The Mall, along with lawyers, activists, students and workers of the PPP and PTI.