June 12, 2008	Thursday	Jamadi-us-Sani 07, 1429

ISLAMABAD, June 11: Leader of the House in Senate and a Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) stalwart Raza Rabbani on Wednesday endorsed the viewpoint of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and called for restoration of deposed judges in accordance with the Bhurban Declaration.

“In order to ensure the independence of judiciary and to strengthen democratic institutions functioning under the Constitution, it is essential that the judiciary be restored as it was on November 2, 2007 through the mechanism provided in the Bhurban Declaration,” Mr Rabbani said in a statement.

The PPP leader said it was the democratic and constitutional right of the lawyers to express their political dissent peacefully and within the confines of law for the restoration of judiciary. The coalition government, he said, must realize that this was not their battle and should not allow anyone to hide behind the apron of the coalition government in the matter of judiciary.

Mr Rabbani said the proclamation of emergency on November 3, 2007 was an illegal and unconstitutional act.

“The Constitution provides under Article-232 for the proclamation of a state of emergency. The deliberate act by Gen Musharraf of placing the Constitution in abeyance was done with the specific purpose of undertaking a surgical operation of the superior judiciary,” he added.

The consequential removal of the judges of the superior courts was also an illegal and unconstitutional act. It was aimed at creating a plaint judiciary which would be subservient to the whims and fancy of an individual.

The acts purported to have been done and actions taken under the garb of emergency can only be validated by parliament, he said.