June 20, 2008	Friday	Jamadi-us-Sani 15, 1429

KARACHI, June 19: The legal fraternity on Thursday rejected the formation of an inquiry tribunal instituted by the provincial government to probe the April 9 incident in which a dozen people lost their lives, many vehicles and lawyers’ offices were set on fire while some people, including lawyers, were burnt alive in Tahir Plaza.

Karachi Bar Association (KBA) President Mahmoodul Hasan said: “We oppose the formation of the tribunal since a PCO judge is heading it, while the legal fraternity will not accept those judges who took the oath under the Provisional Constitution Order 2007.”

He was speaking at a KBA general body meeting held in the Shuhada-i-Punjab Hall of the City Courts on Thursday.

He said the April 9 incident should be investigated under the supervision of the deposed judges once they were reinstated to their Nov 2 positions. Mahmoodul Hasan said that a lawyers’ meeting would be held on June 28 in Lahore to discuss the course of action. The meeting would be attended by lawyers’ representatives from across the country.

Former president of the Supreme Court Bar Association Munir A. Malik said that the ruling parties, before the general elections, had vowed to restore the judiciary to its pre-PCO position after coming to power. He added that the main objective behind the recently concluded long march was to remind the rulers that the mandate they got in the Feb 18 general elections was to actually reinstate the deposed judges. He said civil society had largely participated in the long march, which was encouraging for the lawyers.

Mr Malik said the lawyers’ ongoing movement would continue until all deposed judges were reinstated and lauded the contributions of the lawyers for the cause of an independent judiciary and urged them to maintain complete harmony and unity among their ranks.

Meanwhile, legal proceedings remained suspended at the City Courts and District Courts Malir on Thursday since the lawyers boycotted the proceedings in response to a strike call given by the Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) to protest against the ousting of judges. Though undertrial prisoners were brought to the police lock-up in the City Courts from different prisons, their cases could not be heard due to the strike. The prisoners were taken back to their respective prisons. However, the judges remained in their chambers.

Meanwhile, the People’s Lawyers Forum (PLF), in an emergency meeting headed by its president Abdul Karim Nizamani held at the Shuhada-i-Punjab Hall, slammed provincial ministers Pir Mazharul Haq, Ayaz Soomro and Dr Zulfikar Mirza for “ignoring” the PLF and recruiting other people on the posts of law officers.

The officer-bearers of the PLF urged Pakistan People’s Party co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari and Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah to initiate an inquiry against those elements that were “ignoring” the PLF.