May 03, 2008	Saturday	Rabi-us-Sani 26, 1429

ISLAMABAD, May 2: The executive committee of the Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) on Friday welcomed, albeit in a subdued manner, PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif’s announcement that deposed judges would be reinstated on May 12, but warned that lawyers would intensify their agitation if that was not done.

“The PBC will organise an All Pakistan Lawyers’ Representatives Conference and hold a meeting of the Lawyers’ National Action Committee at Lahore on May 17 to chalk out plans to intensify lawyers’ movement by … appropriate peaceful actions if the promised resolution is not adopted (in the National Assembly) by May 12, or it is subsequently frustrated by undemocratic forces led by (President) Pervez Musharraf or the PCO judges acting in collaboration with him,” said a resolution after the meeting.

“We will take a firm stand … if judges are not restored or any attempt is made by the presidency to frustrate the tabling of the resolution in the National Assembly for reinstatement of judges,” Rasheed A. Razvi told reporters.

A meeting of the 22-member executive committee of the PBC had been called on Saturday, a day ahead of its scheduled meeting, by five of its members led by PPP Senator Mohammad Latif Khosa who called for convening a meeting to consider actions to thwart threats to parliamentary democracy.

Instead of holding the meeting on Saturday, the executive committee rescheduled the meeting on Friday. The executive committee meeting, held under Mr Razvi, was also attended by PBC’s vice-chairman Hamid Khan Kazim Khan, Ali Ahmed Kurd and Qazi Anwar.

Later, Mr Razvi told Dawn that the meeting had adopted a resolution to express the lawyers’ frustration.

The resolution said lawyers had “led an epic struggle for the independence of judiciary and reinstatement of independent judges who upheld their oaths under the Constitution and refused to take oath of a usurper under the Provisional Constitution Order (PCO)”.

“These independent judges and thousands of lawyers have suffered imprisonment, torture and privation at the hands of a dictator and have thus opened the way for democracy, supremacy of the constitution and rule of law.

“The PBC is of the considered view that restoration of democracy and constitutional rule in Pakistan is a must … for economic growth and social development and the judiciary should be independent to establish a democratic system and culture. The parliament should also be sovereign,” the resolution said.

“In order to establish a democratic system and culture, the judiciary should be independent and that there should be a sovereign parliament.”

The resolution also stated that the people had supported the lawyer’s movement and voted for the democratic parties … which stood for the independence of judiciary and reinstatement of independent judges.”

It praised Benazir Bhutto for making “the ultimate sacrifice … to bring democracy, constitutional rule and independent judiciary in Pakistan”.