March 15, 2008	Saturday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 6, 1429

GUJRANWALA, March 14: Advocate Ali Ahmad Kurd, who is former Pakistan Bar Council vice-chairman, has urged President Pervez Musharraf to step down following accepting the verdict of the electorate in the Feb 18 elections, otherwise lawyers and the people would besiege the Army House in Rawalpindi to press him on calling it quits.

Addressing lawyers at the District Bar Association (DBA) Hall here on Friday, Kurd, who was among leading lawyers who defended Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry after a presidential reference was filed against him on March 9, 2007, said there was no need of a two-thirds majority in parliament to restore the judges deposed under the Nov 3 Provisional Constitution Order (PCO) and it was possible merely with a simple majority.

He thanked Pakistan People’s Party co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz chief Nawaz Sharif for reaching an accord on the issue of reinstatement of deposed judges, including Chief Justice Iftikhar, on March 9, 2008 in Murree.

He warned that judges, who took oath under the Nov 3 PCO, had no ‘guts’ to give a stay order against a parliamentary resolution. He reiterated that people and lawyers were willing to give Musharraf a safe exit.

He said that though Article 58-2 (b) was not a lawyers’ issue, independent judiciary would provide protection to parliament if anybody attempted dissolving it.

Earlier, Kurd, who along with some prominent lawyers, including Barrister Aitzaz Ahsan, spearheaded the lawyers’ movement erupted after March 9, 2007, for the establishment of rule of law, supremacy of the Constitution and independence of the judiciary, was warmly received by DBA President Malik Shaukat Ali and other office-bearers upon his arrival here.

Known for orating fiery speeches, Kurd later met with Markazi Anjuman Tajran office-bearers and leaders of other trade organisations to muster support for the lawyers’ proposed long march and a shutter down strike.

Traders assured him that they would respond to the lawyers’ call positively and cooperate with them in their struggle for the restoration and independence of the judiciary.