August 26, 2008	Tuesday	Sha'aban 23, 1429

KARACHI, Aug 25: Representatives of the legal fraternity on Monday urged the Pakistan Bar Council to endorse the protest plan of the newly-formed National Coordination Council, led by Supreme Court Bar Association President Aitzaz Ahsan.

It criticised the apex body for not taking any decision about the lawyers’ movement in its recent meeting despite the fact that the PPP-led government was using various tactics to prolong the restoration of pre-PCO judiciary.

The lawyers also slammed the PBC for removing key leaders of the movement, Rasheed A. Rizvi and Hamid Khan, from the chairmanship of its executive committee and membership, respectively, and vowed to continue the struggle till the restoration of all deposed judges.

The lawyers were of the view that the government was trying to divide lawyers, and alleged that the newly-appointed attorney general, Sardar Latif Khosa, was planning to sabotage lawyers’ movement.

Speaking at a general body meeting of the Karachi Bar Association, held in response to a call by the NCC at the Shuhada-i-Punjab Hall of the City Courts, the lawyers said they would follow the protest plans given by the National Coordination Council as government was not willing to reinstate the judges.

Karachi Bar Association president Mahmoodul Hasan said the legal fraternity of the city would accept and implement the decisions of the NCC.

The Pakistan Bar Council, he said, should also own and endorse those decisions.

The government was delaying restoration of the Nov-2 judiciary by using various tactics, but it was deplorable that the PBC had not taken any decision to accelerate the movement, he said.

Condemning the PBC decision to remove key leaders of the movement, the KBA chief said the newly-appointed attorney general was instrumental in creating a rift among lawyers.

Naheed Afzal was of the view that the government was not sincere in the restoration of judges since it could not tolerate an independent judiciary, and the US was also pressing the PPP-led government not to restore the judiciary as it was afraid of getting exposed in the missing persons’ case.

Therefore, it would never be in favour of an independent judiciary in Pakistan, he added.