July 06, 2008	Sunday	Rajab 2, 1429

LAHORE, July 5: The Joint Working Committee (JWC) of All Pakistan High Court Bar Associations has proposed bringing to a halt the entire judicial system by locking all courtrooms till the reinstatement of deposed judges.

Rawalpindi High Court Bar Association president Sardar Ismatullah said all suggestions made in the working committee meeting, held to expedite the judges’ restoration movement, would be placed before the convention in Lahore on July 19 for approval.

“We will not implement the suggestion if the all Pakistan lawyers’ representative conference rejects it,” he said while replying to a question during a press briefing.

He said the committee had decided that elected bar leaders would not appear before the PCO judges. “If anyone wants to appear before these judges, he will have to resign his office,” the committee said.

Mr Ismatullah said the PML-N’s role was also not appreciable because it had failed to convince its coalition partner into restoring the judges.

He said that an All Pakistan High Court Bar Associations restoration of judiciary committee had been formed to speed up the lawyer's movement.

The purpose of the meeting, he said, was to improve coordination between all high court bar associations of Pakistan and to suggest a future course of action for the lawyers' movement.

He said all members of bar councils and office bearers from the Supreme Court Bar Association to district courts should ensure their presence in Islamabad for complete lockout of the Supreme Court.

Mr Ismatullah said a massive rally would be taken out from the Rawalpindi division on July 10 and culminated at Constitutional Avenue, Islamabad.

He said the meeting resolved that secretaries of bars and former SCBAP president Munir A. Malik should also be invited to the convention. The meeting further said that Mr Malik should be made a member of the National Coordination Council.

It had also rejected the constitutional package and expressed concern at the failure of parliament to make its presence felt in its first 100 days, he said.

The meeting, he said, also noted with concern that non-representative of people were running the government affairs, which was indicative of the weakness of parliament.

He said the meeting strongly condemned the military operation in Fata and the NWFP and resolved that issues be solved through dialogues.

It lauded the president and secretary of the LHCBA for not attending the 232nd anniversary of the independence of the US, he said.

The meeting also resolved that no office bearer or lawyer leader should announce any decision without the prior approval of the National Coordination Council.

It resolved that the next meeting should be held in Karachi after July 19 to decide the future course of action and formal structure of the committee, he added.

LHCBA-principal seat president Anwar Kamal, secretary Rana Asadullah Khan, VP Mian Aslam, finance secretary Feroza Rubab, Rawalpindi bench president Sardar Asmatullah, secretary Malik Muhammad Siddiq Awan, Multan bench president Mehmood Ashraf Khan, Bahawalpur bench president Malik Aslam, secretary Muhammad Naveed Rana, Sindh High Court Bar Association secretary Munirur Rehman and others attended the meeting.