October 22, 2008	Wednesday	Shawwal 22, 1429

PESHAWAR, Oct 21: Noted lawyer Ali Ahmed Kurd, who is running for the presidential slot of Supreme Court Bar Association, has said that their movement will continue till the independence of judiciary.

Speaking at the Guest’s Hour programme of Peshawar Press Club here on Tuesday, he said that lawyers’ movement, which was launched 18 months ago to get Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry reinstated, had entered a decisive phase of the peaceful struggle.

He regretted that some of the superior court judges, who endorsed the just struggle of civil society for the reinstatement of judges and restoration of the real constitution, could not keep their words. He said they had accepted their reappointment to save their jobs.

He said that military dictators, who were not ready to reinstate Justice Chaudhry, had to step down owing to the democratic struggle of lawyers and their civil society allies. He reminded the sitting rulers that it was their movement which had paved the way for the return of the exile leaders of major political parties.

Mr Kurd said that political opportunism was not a new phenomenon rather it had also ruined societies in the past. He said that print and electronic media had been in the forefront in their just struggle for democracy, rule of law and reinstatement of the forcibly removed judges.

He said that journalists highlighted the draconian measures of military rulers and kept informed the nation about the peaceful struggle of lawyers and other civil society organisations. He said lawyers had been struggling for the rule of law, democracy and supremacy of parliament since the dissolution of the first constituent assembly.

Mr Kurd said that corrupt rulers had always treated citizens of as their subjects and deprived them of their basic rights but now people were not ready to be treated as third-class citizens. He said growing unemployment, price-hike and lawlessness had ruined the life of common people across the country. The government, he said, was not making any concrete efforts to get the people riddance of the man-made miseries.

Mr Kurd said despite shenanigans of ruling groups, lawyers would bring a success for their real representatives, fighting for the independence of judiciary, restoration of 1973 Constitution, supremacy of the parliament and establishment of an egalitarian society.

Mr Kurd said that common people had never touched dry subjects like law and constitution but the lawyers’ movement had made it their favourite subject. He said general people knew that an independent judiciary was inevitable to beat back dictators.

He said that General (retired) Pervez Musharraf was unaware of the real strength of lawyers when he removed Justice Chaudhry on March 9, 2007 from his office. On the call of Supreme Court Bar Association, he said, the next day all the presidents and secretaries of district bar associations converged in Islamabad and denounced the decision of dictator.

The lawyers, he said, had sacrificed their family life, monetary gains and career for their clear-cut goal of rule of law and constitution. He said at present lawyers’ struggling for the independence of judiciary and real democracy were facing a group of opportunists, who had accepted lucrative slots and reappointment on courts.

He denied that Justice Chaudhry had soft corner for Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz or he was a supporter of it. He said everybody had a right to have his/her political views but Justice Chaudhry was purely a judge, who had invited the wrath of dictators by providing relief to poor segments of society.

About lawyers’ movement, Mr Kurd said it was not going to die; instead it would haunt the zombies. He said: “It is like a Great Wall of China against dictators.”Peshawar High Court Bar Association president Abdul Lateef Afridi also spoke on the occasion and said their movement would continue till the reinstatement of all judges.