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July 25, 2008
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Friday
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Rajab 21, 1429
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Lawyers boycott courts, set up hunger camp
By Our Reporter
RAWALPINDI, July 24: Lawyers on Thursday observed complete boycott of high court as well as district courts and set up a hunger strike camp to protest the delay in the restoration of deposed judges. The camp was established at the Rawalpindi District Bar Association (RDBA) complex which was attended by some 30 lawyers. During their general body meeting, the lawyers demanded of the government to restore the deposed judges and said they would not accept those judges who had taken oath under the Provisional Constitutional Order (PCO).
They said those who said judiciary could be made independent without reinstating the deposed judges had no idea what independent judiciary was. They said if the government failed to restore the judges, including chief justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry, by August 14, they would re-start their movement.
The lawyers also finalised preparations for the deposed chief justice’s address in Multan and Bahawalpur and decided to see him off at Islamabad airport on Friday. RDBA General Secretary Sajid Tanoli said two coaches of lawyers would go to Multan from Rawalpindi to attend the address of the deposed chief justice.
They condemned the murder of the elder brother of Lahore High Court Bar Association (LHCBA) General Secretary Sadiq Awan and extended their condolences to the family members and bar representatives.
According to the police, Khuda Yar Mohammad Awan was heading to his house in Fatehjang on Wednesday when unknown gunmen opened indiscriminate fire on his car (LZF-6712) on Dhoke Malharan-Bhadana Link Road.
The lawyers, in their speeches, maintained that if the coalition government failed to impeach President Pervez Musharraf and reinstate the deposed judges of the Supreme Court and four higher courts, people would not forgive them for avoiding the popular demands.
They expressed their surprise over the delay after the coalition partners agreed to restore the judges in Murree on March 9 and said they would not sit idle until the return of the independent judges.
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