LAHORE: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) senior leader from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Asad Qaiser on Friday urged legal fraternity to launch a movement for the supremacy of constitution.

“Historically, lawyers have led successful movements in Pakistan,” he said speaking to members of the Lahore High Court Bar Association. He said lawyers had launched movements against oppression and for an independent judiciary.

He said no movement could succeed without the participation of lawyers.The PTI leader alleged ‘a false’ propaganda was spread about May 9 incidents.

Appealing to the people of Punjab to stand up for the supremacy of constitution, he said movements starting from Lahore had been successful in the past.

Former NA speaker, Qaiser said the army should stick to its constitutional role. He also demanded the release of former prime minister Imran Khan and ‘innocent’ workers of the party.

Speaking on the occasion, Mahmood Khan Achakzai, the head of the opposition alliance, said PML-N supermo Nawaz Sharif should have accepted the victory of the PTI in the Feb 8 election.He said the treatment being meted out to PTI leaders and workers was shameful.

He stated that going to jail was not a big deal for political workers but they should not be subjected to torture.

LPC: At Meet-The-Press of Lahore Press Club, Asad said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz were running illegitimate governments. He asked PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif “whether his conscience pricks him on this illegal and undemocratic move?”

He said Tehreek-i-Tahafaz-i-Aaien Pakistan (Pakistan Constitution Protection Movement) had been launched to safeguard the constitution, which had literally been abrogated in the country. He said he and his team would also go to Karachi to advance the movement.

Mr Qaiser regretted that the country had become a police state and added that the Bahawalnagar incident was a curse following wailing of hapless masses victimised by police.He demanded that all political prisoners including Dr Yasmin Rashid, Ejaz Chaudhry, Omar Sarfraz Cheema, Aaliya Hamza and Sanam Javed be released.

“Policemen involved in illegal activities of raids and arrests will be punished as per law,” he added.

Commenting on the plight of farmers in Punjab, Mr Qaiser said the government should buy the wheat produced by farmers and launch a high-level inquiry against former caretaker prime minister Anwarul Haq Kakar and Punjab chief minister Mohsin Naqvi for importing wheat from Ukraine beyond requirement.

He also demanded that the arrested farmers should be released and the federal as well as Punjab government should implement their announcements made for the support of farmers.

He said judges in the Peshawar High Court faced threats when they did not listen to the advice of powers that be.Qaiser also condemned the federal government for not giving funds and requisitioned officers to the KP government.

He said the federal government was also not helping KP to combat the wave of terrorism.Tehreek-i-Tahafaz-i-Aaien Pakistan leaders Asad Qaiser, Mahmood Khan Achakzai and others also visited PPP senior leader and lawyer Aitzaz Ahsan as well as PTI’s incarcerated leader Aaliya Hamza’s residence.

Published in Dawn, May 4th, 2024