September 12, 2008	Friday	Ramazan 11, 1429

LAHORE, Sept 11: The Lahore High Court Bar Association on Thursday passed a resolution, declaring illegal the oath of office Chief Justice Abdul Hameed Dogar administered to President Asif Ali Zardari.

Through the resolution, lawyers also rejected the re-appointment of the judges deposed on Nov 3 here at a pre-rally meeting at the Karachi Shuhada Hall of the LHCBA. Lawyers from across the country attended the general house meeting that minced no words in criticising the PPP top brass and the re-appointed judges for what they called ditching the cause of an independent judiciary.

A relatively warm and heavily attended meeting of the general house pledged not to flinch because of the deposed judges’ re-appointment and swore lawyers would stand by Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry till his restoration.

Representatives of several bars — who had gathered here for the meeting of the National Coordination Council (NCC) — said the government did not honour late premier Benazir Bhutto’s desire to have Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry restored.

Later, the lawyers joined workers of PML-N, Jamaat-i-Islami, Tehrik-i-Khaksar, Pakhtoon Khawa Milli Awami Party (PKMAP) and Labour Party and marched to the Punjab Assembly building. They chanted slogans like ‘Chief Terey Janisar Baishumar’ and ‘Adliya ki Azadi tek, Jang rehey gi’.

“Stop killing the Pakhtoons mercilessly”, chanted the PKMAP workers and called for immediately halting the operation in tribal belt. Commenting on the thin presence of PML-N workers, Rabbia Bajwa advocate said the lawyers’ movement wanted to usher in a revolution and political parties could not stand it.

“The Quaid-i-Azam made Pakistan through his persistent and peaceful struggle and we have got to follow in his footsteps,” said LHCBA president Anwar Kamal.

He said though PPP Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari became president through a constitutional way, the ‘illegal’ oath by Justice Abdul Hameed Dogar snatched the legitimacy of his election away because he (Justice Dogar) was under an oath of the Provisional Constitution Order.

He said the lawyers strongly condemned the Nato forces attack inside Pakistan and the treatment being meted out to Dr Aafia. Addressing the meeting, Karachi Bar Association president said lawyers spilled their blood for the movement, which also paved way for the return of the exiled leaders.

He criticised the president for inviting Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai and dubbed him as the protégé of the US. He added the government was afraid to restore deposed chief justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry because it feared that he would not allow them to follow the US dictates.Abbotabad High Court Bar’s (Peshawar Bench) Saad Muhammad Khan said the deposed judges, who accepted re-appointment, stabbed their colleagues in the back. Dera Ismail Khan High Court Bar Associatoin president Dawood Khan said the lawyers forced Musharraf to resign and Asif Ali Zardari’s government would not survive if he did not listen to them.

Mansehra Bar Association President Hafiz Nasim warned the government to restore all the deposed judge or prepare for lawyers’ wrath.

Sindh Bar Council Vice-Chairman Ghazanfar Leghari said the new government was an extension of the dictatorship as Mr Zardari replaced Gen Musharraf, Sherry Rehman took place of MA Durrani and Farooq Naek followed in the footsteps of Wasi Zafar.

Former LHCBA president Ahmad Awais, Pakistna Bar Council member Hafiz Abdur Rehman Ansari, Save Judiciary Committee convener Abdur Rasheed Qureshi, District Bar Rahim Yar Khan presient Zafar Iqbal Tareen, Gujrat Bar Association president Badr-us-Salam and Multan High Court Bar Association president Mahmood Aslam Khan also spoke on the occasion.