April 26, 2008	Saturday	Rabi-us-Sani 19, 1429

RAWALPINDI, April 25: Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) President Aitzaz Ahsan here on Friday said restoration of judges and introduction of a constitutional package were two different things and cannot be interlinked.

He was talking to media persons after distributing prizes among the students of a private educational institute. He said the opinion of the deposed judges would be very important about any constitutional package regarding the superior judiciary.

He hoped that there would be some positive development in the coming week regarding restoration of the deposed judges. “The legal fraternity believes that the Bhurban Declaration would be implemented in letter and spirit.”

In reply to a question, he said the lawyers would decide after consultations whether to give more time to the government for reinstatement of the judges or not. “We have been waiting for April 30 eagerly because the date was fixed by the leaders of the two mainstream political parties, not by us.”

Responding another question, the SCBA chief said he had sought PPP ticket to contest by-election from NA-55 Rawalpindi-VI. “I would be the candidate of PPP only, and if Asif Zardari wants to contest elections from the constituency he would be most welcomed.” It was the decision of SCBA that I should contest by-elections and take the voice of lawyers to parliament, he added.

While addressing the prize distribution ceremony, Mr Ahsan said making Pakistan a welfare state was the dream of Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah, but regular intervention of non-democratic forces had made the country a security state.

He said lawyers were striving for restoration of judiciary just to materialise the dream of the Quaid. The judiciary had been under executive control for 58 years but for the last two years it had made an effort to liberate itself by dispensation of justice to the common man, he added.