August 08, 2008	Friday	Sha’aban 5, 1429

PESHAWAR, Aug 7: Deposed Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry stated on Thursday that the lawyers and nation would soon hear good news about restoration of the pre-Nov 3 judiciary.

“We have no political agenda and our struggle is for supremacy of the constitution and rule of law,” said Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry in a telephonic address to the protesting lawyers here at the district courts.

Hailing the lawyers’ movement he stated that this movement was unmatched in the 60 years history of the country. “Despite heavy odds against them and extreme problems including financial crisis, the lawyers remained steadfast and continued their movement,” Justice Chaudhry said.

The lawyers would emerge victorious in their more than year long struggle and soon there would be rule of law and an independent judiciary in the country, he said.

Justice Chaudhry stated that an independent judiciary was vital for strengthening of democratic institutions. He said it was duty of the lawyers to struggle for the protection of the judiciary and democratic institutions.

He said that the struggle of the lawyers would not end with the restoration of the judiciary and they had to remain vigilant so that in future nobody could harm an independent judiciary and other institutions.

The non-functional chief justice assured that the doors of an independent judiciary would remain open for all the citizens and everybody would be provided justice without any fear or favour.

He praised the civil society and media stating that they had played equally important role like the legal fraternity in the ongoing movement. He also hailed the struggle rendered by the lawyers’ community of the NWFP and Peshawar in the movement.The lawyers listened to the address with enthusiasm and raised slogans of “Go Musharraf Go” and “Long live Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry.” The address was followed by a protest demonstration. The lawyers marched up to the residence of deposed Peshawar High Court’s Chief Justice Tariq Pervez Khan, who thanked them for their struggle and hoped that they would succeed in their mission.Justice Tariq Pervez told journalists that some elements had been creating hurdles in the way of the lawyers’ movement which was evident from the controversy of the notification regarding some judges of the Sindh High Court.

He said that the lawyers’ movement for the restoration of pre-Nov 3 judiciary had now turned into a movement of the masses in which now other civil society groups and media had been actively participating.

Justice Tariq said that an independent judiciary was inevitable for democracy. He added that they had declined to take oath under the PCO as they wanted supremacy of the constitution in the country.

Earlier, the Peshawar High Court Bar Association’s president Abdul Lateef Afridi said that his party, Awami National Party, favoured the restoration of the judges and impeachment of the president.

He said that when his party had sought their opinion on the issue they had clearly told them that for the independence of the judiciary the restoration of the deposed judges was necessary. He added that the removal of Pervez Musharraf was need of the hour and in best interest of the country.

The Peshawar District Bar Association’s president, Fazlur Rehman Khan, stated the lawyers had rendered sacrifices in their movement but at the same time the judges had also rendered valuable sacrifices. He recalled that the judges remained in confinement for five months but they did not bow down to a dictator.