ISLAMABAD, March 17: Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Abdul Hameed Dogar has convened a meeting of all 15 judges of the Supreme Court on Tuesday, setting off speculations about the purpose of the full-court session called only rarely.

“The agenda item to be taken up during the full court meeting involves host of administrative and financial matters, including mounting backlog as well as issues regarding promotions of the staff,” the Supreme Court administration said, but legal circles believe the meeting is likely to take stock of issues being discussed all over the country, including its own future.

Earlier a full court reference was called on April 5, 2007, to review the post-March 9 charged environment in the country after the filing of a reference before the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) against deposed Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry.

The full court had discussed spontaneous public reaction, especially the stand taken by different lawyers’ associations across the country since the submission of the reference against Justice Iftikhar.

Reacting to the apex court announcement, Supreme Court Bar Association President Aitzaz Ahsan called an emergency Press conference on Monday and expressed the fear on convening of a full court reference on one day’s notice. He said the Supreme Court might grant a stay on a petition filed on Monday seeking injunction against the National Assembly from passing any resolution for reinstatement of deposed judges.

Making the federal government respondent through Secretary of Law and the Speaker of National Assembly, the joint petition sought a declaration from the apex court that parliament was not competent to pass any resolution by a simple majority or through a simple enactment to override or wipe out the judgment of the Supreme Court.

Mr Ahsan emphasised that parliament, being a sovereign body, was not bound to obey such a stay and warned that lawyers had a vigorous but peaceful programme, including long marches, boycotts and rallies.

He said details about protest programmes would be decided by a committee comprising presidents of all top bar associations and senior members.

In reply to a question about Article 190 of the Constitution which orders all executive authorities to come in aid of the Supreme Court, Mr Ahsan said the lawyers’ community had been “accommodating the present judges because we do not want confrontation and believe that cases of such judges should be decided through a review process”.

Mr Ahsan warned of a complete boycott of courts and rallies and rocessions all over the country.

Mr Ahsan assured the press that deposed judges, after their release from detention, would not go to the Supreme Court till the time the 30-day period was completed to let leaders of the coalition government redeem their promise made before the people in the Murree Summit Declaration.

During the countdown, the peace of judges’ colony would not be disturbed, although “we expect that office-bearers of lawyers’ bodies would regulate the meeting of at least 10 lawyers on a daily basis with the deposed chief justice.”

During the period, the deposed chief justice would also visit different bar associations as he had done when suspended by President Pervez Musharraf on March 9, 2007. The rallies in offices of different bar associations would remain peaceful and non-violent like those held in the past when the deposed chief justice remained on streets for over 120 hours but not a single incident of violence had taken place.

He denied reports that he had held a meeting with the deposed chief justice, but said he was confident that Justice Iftikhar would soon be released.