KARACHI, March 15: The Bar representatives called for the restoration of all the facilities that Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry was entitled to as the Chief Justice of Pakistan. They said that the CJP was facing an inquiry and not a criminal or accountability trial.

Using the government’s term of “non-functional CJ” cannot in any case be placed under any restraint, Pakistan Bar Council members Abul Inam and M. Yaseen Azad, Supreme Court Bar Association Vice-President Khwaja Naveed Ahmed, Sindh Bar Council members Mustafa Lakhani, Hanif Bhatti, Muhammad Aqil, Salahuddin Gandapur, Zia Ahmed Awan, Abdullah Chandio, Fahim Riazuddin, Sathi M. Ishaq, M. Khalil Dogar and Sadiq Hidayaullah and Sindh High Court Bar Association President Abrar Hasan told a press conference in the bar room of the Supreme Court registry here. They said Justice Iftikhar was virtually under house arrest and the confinement was illegal and unconstitutional.

The lawyers, they said, were not fighting for the honour of Justice Iftikhar but for the dignity and independence of the judiciary. The lawyers have not recalled their protest and their convention in Lahore on Saturday would decide the future course of action. Court proceedings could not be boycotted indefinitely. About the role of Attorney-General Makhdoom Ali Khan, PBC member Abul Inam said for the present he would only urge the AG to resign and return to the fold.

The Sindh High Court Bar Association, meanwhile, observed a token strike from 10.30am to 11.30am and two of its members, Z.K. Jatoi and Noor Naz Agha, observed token hunger strike from 10am to 2.30pm.

Talking to newsmen later, Ms Agha requested SHC Chief Justice Sabihuddin Ahmed to dissociate himself with the Supreme Judicial Council proceedings on the presidential reference against Justice Iftikhar to demonstrate his solidarity with the legal fraternity, of which he is an integral part, and to further strengthen the unity between the Bench and the Bar. She lauded the resignation of a Bahawalpur civil judge and urged other judicial officers and judges to raise their voice against the unconstitutional action of the president.

Our Reporter adds: Four members of KBA observed a token hunger strike and boycotted courts proceedings for one hour. The President of KBA, Iftikhar Javed Qazi, General Secretary Naeem Qureshi, Joint Secretary Amir Niaz Khan and Treasurer Naseer Abbasi sat on hunger strike.

Vice President Qadir Khan, Librarian Mohammad Jiwani, members of the Managing Committee Hafeez Baloch, Miss Khairun Nisa, Miss Uzma Rafiq, Shabaz and Saeed Qureshi will sit on a token hunger strike today (Friday).

During the hour long boycott of courts proceedings, lawyers gathered in front of the city courts and set on fire portraits of President Pervez Musharraf and US President George W. Bush. They raised slogans against the President, federal information minister and Chief Minister Sindh.

Former City Nazim Niamatullah Khan Advocate, Jamaat Islami Karachi Amir Dr Merajul Huda Siddiqui, MNA Mohammad Hussein Mehnati, PML(N) leader Saleem Zia, PPPP leader and Leader of Opposition in Sindh Assembly Nisar Khoro, ANP Sindh President Shahi Syed, and Supreme Court Bar Association President Munir Malik visited the city courts and expressed their solidarity with the protesting lawyers.