April 10, 2008	Thursday	Rabi-us-Sani 3, 1429

HYDERABAD, April 9: Lawyer leaders point the finger of suspicion at the President’s House and accuse it of hatching conspiracies against democracy and movement for the restoration of deposed judges and the independence of judiciary.

The president of the Hyderabad chapter of the Sindh High Court Bar Association, Qazi Abdul Sattar, on Wednesday accused the President House of hatching conspiracies against democracy and the movement for the restoration of democracy and independence of judiciary.

He said at the bar’s general body meeting that lawyers community was not involved in any illegal act and criticised Pakistan People’s Party leader Babar Awan for issuing a statement against SCBA president Choudhry Aitzaz Ahsan. Mr Awan was acting like an agent of President Musharraf, he added.

Senior lawyer Zahoor Baloch said that lawyers were united and would soon foil the conspiracies of dictators and usurpers. People like Ahmed Mukhtar and Babar Awan were enemies of democracy, said Zafar Rajput, another lawyer. He called upon his colleagues to keep an eye on the conspirators and the ‘agents of the dictator.’

Later, they staged a procession and raised slogans against President Musharraf.

The president of Sukkur chapter of High Court Bar Association Imdad Ali Awan accused ‘the elements’ who were against the restoration of judges of orchestrating the maltreatment of former federal minister Sher Afghan Niazi.

He said at a press conference at the bar office that the elements behind such incidents were trying to sabotage democracy and the movement for the independence of judiciary.

He dismissed claims by federal Law Minister Farooq H. Naik and PPP leader Babar Awan that lawyer leaders were delivering provocative speeches and said that people had twice voted PPP over the issues of Z.A. Bhutto and Benazir Bhutto because they believed it would guarantee supremacy of constitution and law.

Mr Awan denied lawyers’ involvement in the Niazi manhandling and said that the attacker was an 18 or 19 years old boy. However, if a lawyer was found involved in the incident, he should be punished accordingly, he said.

He said that lawyers’ struggle, which had entered the 14th month, was nearing success and the elements who were against an independent judiciary had made conspiracies to sabotage the cause.

He stressed that the lawyers would not accept resignation from the SCBA president Chaudhry Aitizaz Ehsan. If he did so, they too would resign.

He said that lawyers were looking forward to the deadline of 30 days for the restoration of judiciary, as was agreed between the two big political parties in Murree.

Meanwhile, legal aid committee of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement condemned violence against lawyers belonging to MQM in Karachi and said that some lawyers’ actions had made the entire legal fraternity a laughing stock.

The people who were making tall claims about independence of judiciary in fact wanted to spread anarchy and suppress the voice of truth, they claimed.