October 21, 2008	Tuesday	Shawwal 21, 1429

ISLAMABAD, Oct 20: Deposed chief justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry announced on Monday he would disclose ‘many things’ on Nov 3 — the first anniversary of the emergency proclaimed by former president Pervez Musharraf.

Justice Iftikhar entered the Supreme Court premises for the first time after he was sacked by president Musharraf last year to address the outgoing executive committee members of the Supreme Court Bar Association. Barrister Aitzaz Ahsan, the president of the association, had invited him.

After the elections scheduled for Oct 28, a new SCBA team will replace the incumbent members, headed by Mr Ahsan.

Fearing that the lawyers’ movement may get enormous strength under the leadership of the firebrand lawyer from Balochistan, Ali Ahmed Kurd, the government is supporting former senator Mohammad Zafar, another contender from the same province.

Justice Iftikhar said he would address a lawyers’ convention at the Rawalpindi High Court Bar Association on Nov 3 to take the nation into confidence about the demands made by the former president and would disclose many other things.

A heavy contingent of police was deployed at the Supreme Court and corridors leading to judges’ chambers inside the building were sealed. All roads leading to the Constitution Avenue and the Supreme Court were barricaded and vehicles going to the court were thoroughly searched.

Only lawyers were allowed to enter the court premises, but some media personnel also managed to sneak into.

It took the deposed chief justice four hours to reach the Supreme Court, only three kilometres away from his official residence in the Judge’s Colony. On several occasions he was stopped by police to rethink his plans, but he refused.

The deposed chief justice’s caravan was stopped at the first picket on the Margalla road, near the Punjab House, and it was allowed to proceed only after all lawyers’ vehicles were cleared by police on the identification of Rawalpindi High Court Bar Association President Sardar Asmatullah.

Athar Minallah, spokesman for Justice Iftikhar, told Dawn that Interior Secretary Syed Kamal Shah had called him and asked to either change the programme or seek a prior permission from the Supreme Court. The secretary was of the opinion that such a big assembly would hurt the sanctity of the apex court. However, he was told by the spokesman to approach the SCBA office-bearers.

Justice Iftikhar said that the Constitution should not be considered restored till the time parliament either indemnify or reject all the actions taken by the former president at the time of proclaiming the state of emergency on Nov 3 last year.

He said he was sacked at a time when he was to take up a case against top government functionaries for deporting former prime minister Nawaz Sharif back to Jeddah in violation of the court order.

The success of lawyers’ movement, he said, was at hand and no-one in power could stop them from achieving their cherished goals because they believed in the rule of law and the Constitution.

Earlier, Aitzaz Ahsan thanked members of the executive committee and said his team would endeavour for the success of new office-bearers led by Mr Kurd.