LAHORE, April 13: The All-Pakistan Minorities Alliance staged a demonstration outside the Lahore Press Club on Friday to condemn the action against the Chief Justice of Pakistan and violence against lawyers and journalists.

Alliance leaders and members gathered outside the press club and displayed banners and placards demanding reinstatement of the CJP, independence of judiciary and expression of solidarity with journalists and lawyers.

MPAs Pervez Rafiq and Mrs Najmi Salim, Minorities Alliance’s provincial organiser Khalid Gill, Azra Shujat, Eric Sindhu, Javed Sahotra, Robinson George and others said the minorities opposed the destruction of democratic institutions and victimisation of CJP by the government and fully supported the struggle of the lawyers for restoration of democracy, supremacy of parliament, independence of judiciary and rule of law.

They said the judicial crisis had brought a bad name to the country and deterioration of law and order had proved the failure of the government. The reference against the CJP was part of a conspiracy aimed at usurping the independence of judiciary which would be filed by the lawyers with the help of masses.

Only an independent judiciary could ensure the rule of law and protect the fundamental rights of the people.

They criticised the government for resorting to violence against journalists and television channels.