KARACHI, March 30: Lawyers continued their protest campaign on Friday in the Sindh High Court, city courts and Malir district against the suspension of Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry. Lawyers observed a sit-in in on M.A. Jinnah Road and blocked the traffic.

Four members of Sindh High Court Bar Association (SHCBA) sat on hunger strike. They were Iqbal Hussein, Abdul Samad Memon, Aziz Khilji and Lala Amin Akhtar. Lawyers in the SHC boycotted court proceedings from 10.30am to 11.30am.

They said the CJP’s suspension was an unconstitutional act by President Pervez Musharraf. They said this was a bad omen for the judiciary’s future and the nation should not expect any good from rulers bent upon weakening the judiciary’s foundations.

The lawyers said their campaign was neither against nor in favour of any individual. They said the legal fraternity was only struggling to ensure the supremacy of rule of law, and upholding the dignity of the constitution in the country. Fifteen members of Karachi Bar Association (KBA) sat on a token hunger strike. They were Masawar Ali Khan, Haji Abdur Razaq, Hassan Khan Afridi, Inam-ul-Hassan, Sami-ur-Rehman, Salim Qureshi, Ashiq Hussain Hamdani, Dilawar Hussain Katana, Shamriz Khan, Zahid Suhrab Khan, Mukhtar Haider, Dildar Jahangiri, Javaid Memon, Ejaz Ahmed and Ejaz Khattak.

The KBA members boycotted court proceedings from 10.30am to 11.30am and held a general body meeting in front of the city courts. President KBA Iftikhar Javaid Qazi and General Secretary Naeem Qureshi in their speeches said the rulers were hatching conspiracies to weaken lawyers’ unity. They said holding a convention of law officers in Hyderabad was a futile exercise of the Sindh chief minister, adding that such gatherings would not deter lawyers.

Raising slogans, the lawyers assured the CJP of full support and appreciated his stand to face the charges against him. The lawyers then left the city courts in a procession and staged a sit in and rally on M.A. Jinnah Road for 40 minutes. This was addressed Hanif Bhatti, Abdul Waheed Siddiqui, Tariq Khan Niazi, Iftikhar Javaid Qazi, Naeem Qureshi and Zareen Khan.

The speakers said that they were fully prepared to warmly welcome the CJP if the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) held its meeting here on April 3. They affirmed their pledge to continue their campaign till his reinstatement.

Former Sindh Assembly Speaker Jalal Mehmood Shah will address lawyers in the city court today (Saturday). Lawyers in Malir Bar also observed a hunger strike. Those who sat on hunger strike were Noor Naz Agha, Mohammad Nadeem and Syed Daud Shah. Members of Malir Bar Association (MBA) also boycotted court proceedings for one hour from 10.30am to 11.30am.