ABBOTTABAD, March 20: Supreme Court Bar Association president Barrister Aitzaz Ahsan said on Thursday that lawyers would march towards the Army House if President and Attorney General did not stop to conspire against the judiciary.
He said that they were inches away from their goal of restoration of the pre-Nov 3 judiciary despite the conspiracies hatched in the presidency. Mr Ahsan said that the general public had given clear warning to the presidency through their power of ballot and now no force could stop the restoration of judges.
He was addressing ‘All Pakistan lawyers Convention’ organised by the Peshawar High Court Abbottabad Circuit Bench Bar Association at Bar Club.
Mr Ahsan was awarded rousing welcome on his arrival at Abbottabad and earlier at Haripur. The lawyers, civil society members and general public showered him with rose petals and garlanded him frequently when he was passing through different areas.
The convention was also attended by the four deposed judges of Peshawar High Court including Chief Justice Tariq Pervez Khan, Justice Shahjehan Khan, Justice Ijaz Afzal Khan and Justice Dost Muhammad Khan.
Mr Ahsan hailed the two major political parties -- PPP and PML-N -- for signing the Murre Declaration and also praised ANP for extending support to them.
He expressed displeasure when an American flag was put to torch in the convention, asking the participants that they should not burn flag of any country as they had received unbelievable support from the lawyers of the world specially from Americans Bar Associations of different states and the bar associations of Spain and UK.
He stated that majority of the people in those countries did not like the policies of their respective government and they had to honour all those who stood with them. He added that around 700,000 lawyers in America expressed complete solidarity with the lawyers and judiciary of Pakistan and joined a protest by observing 5 minutes break to their normal legal and professional activities, which was done rarely in the world.
Talking about the proposed resolution which is part of the Murree Declaration, Mr Ahsan said that constitutionally there was no requirement of passage such a resolution and through it the PPP and PML-N wanted to assure their voters that they would fulfil their commitment.
He said that the recent elections of speaker and deputy speaker of the National Assembly and some other developments in the right direction showed to the public the will of those parties of resolving the issue in accordance with their wishes. However he warned if at any stage the parliament failed to restore the judges then it would be blackest day of the Pakistan's history. He vowed that the lawyers’ movement would continue till achievement of their prime objectives.
Justice Dost Muhammad said that judges had taken oath under the Constitution and they would honour that oath despite the problems faced by them.
PHCBA president Adbul Lateef Afridi said that peoples had given their verdict against Pervez Musharraf and now the parliament and the two major political parties should act in accordance with the mandate given to them.
