QUETTA, March 14: The president of the Supreme Court Bar Association, Ali Ahmed Kurd, said on Saturday that he would definitely reach Islamabad to lead the long march and sit-in on Monday.Talking to reporters at the airport after being denied boarding card to travel to Lahore, Mr Kurd avoided to reveal his modus operandi, but said he and his colleagues would reach the federal capital by using any means, whether it was by plane, road or train.

The SCBA president asserted that he, Balochistan High Court Bar Association president Shakeel Ahmed Hadi and former president of Balochistan Bar Association Baz Mohammad Kakar were not allowed to proceed to Lahore despite having confirmed tickets.

He rejected airport management’s claim that they were denied seats because of their late arrival and said they were refused boarding cards even before landing of the plane.

He warned the government that it should not take soft policy of the lawyers’ leadership about peaceful long march as their weakness.

Mr Kurd said if the lawyers were not allowed to protest through peaceful means, they could change their strategy.The SCBA chief did not agree with a questioner that the lawyers had lost the first round because the government had succeeded in preventing them from reaching Islamabad.

Earlier, a meeting of the Balochistan Bar Association’s general body denounced the government for creating hurdles for lawyers to proceed to Sukkur and vowed that the protesters would reach Islamabad at any cost.

Later, the lawyers took out a procession and after passing through different roads assembled outside the press club where Mr Baloch, Ghani Khilji, Mohsin Javed and Nasibullah Tareen addressed them.

They announced that the lawyers would end their protest only if all deposed judges were restored to their Nov 2, 2007 position.

Saleem Shahid adds: Meanwhile, Sindh and Punjab governments have deployed heavy contingents of police and Rangers along their borders with Balochistan to prevent Mr Kurd and other lawyers from travelling by road.

According to reports, special check-posts had been established at various points in border districts of Barkhan, Dear Bugti and Musakhel of Balochistan.

“Security forces were strictly checking all vehicles, including buses, trucks, cars and other traffic, entering Punjab from Balochistan in Mughal Kot area.”

The same arrangements have been made by the Sindh government at its border with Balochistan.
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