May 21, 2008	Wednesday	Jamadi-ul-Awwal 15, 1429

LAHORE, May 20: The Lahore High Court Bar Association (LHCBA) has decided to cancel membership of the lawyers who violate Pakistan Bar Council’s boycott calls by appearing before judges appointed under Nov 3 Provisional Constitution Order (PCO) on Thursdays.

The LHCBA general house meeting decided on Tuesday protest calls would be followed in letter and spirit and also formed committees for effective long march on Islamabad.

Lawyers have announced long march on Islamabad on June 10 to press the government for the reinstatement of judges.

Some lawyers criticised Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani for his statement that “there are two chief justices in Pakistan”.

“I want to make it clear that there is only one chief justice in Pakistan and that is Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry,” former LHCBA president Hafiz Abdur Rehman Ansari told the house. He added lawyers would neither accept any proposal to curtail tenure of the chief justice nor increasing the strength of Supreme Court judges.

He proposed lawyers occupy all corridors leading to courtrooms and stop their peers from appearing before PCO judges.

The former president said the government should not think about creating hurdles in the long march because it would be a dominant movement of lawyers, civil society, traders and people of Pakistan.

LHCBA Secretary Rana Asadullah said the name of the lawyers violating boycott would be displayed outside the barroom this Thursday and if they continued violation, their memberships would be cancelled.

Former LHCBA president Ahmad Awais said: “We should demonstrate this Thursday that the boycott is 100 per cent.”

Another former LHCBA president Pir Kalim Khurshid said the bar should form committees to coordinate among different bars and catering to the transport needs for the long march. He added the conspiracies were being hatched against the march and lawyers needed to contact civil society and set up a fund for financial support.Pakistan Muslim League Lawyers Forum president Wali Khan said lawyers’ leaders kept appearing before PCO judges but preached others to boycott the same. He added lawyers must consult political parties for their support for the restoration of the pre-emergency judiciary.

Iqbal Ahmad Khan said Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari was not serious with the cause of restoring judges and had benefited from controversial laws like the National Reconciliation Ordinance.

LHCBA Finance Secretary Feroza Rubab said lawyers should not lag behind in the long march.

Hanif Ahmad Dogar said long marches were undertaken after preparing people for the worst. He added lawyers needed to put in a lot of efforts. He proposed besieging the GHQ and oath from lawyers not to withdraw unless they achieved their purpose.

LHCBA President Anwar Kamal asked lawyers not to file their urgent cases on Wednesdays in order to avoid appearing on Thursdays when lawyers boycott proceedings.

He said LHC Chief Justice Sayed Zahid Husain twice invited bar office-bearers, but was refused. He urged his colleagues, affiliated with political parties, to bring along their parties to make the long march a success. He praised Supreme Court Bar Association President Aitzaz Ahsan for withdrawing from the by-poll.