ATTOCK, May 16: Lawyers would continue their protest till the reinstatement of the Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry and withdrawal of the presidential reference against him, said former member Punjab Bar Council Sheikh Ehsanuddin here on Wednesday.

Talking to Dawn, he claimed that the legal fraternity filled the leadership-gap in the country by launching a countrywide movement in support of the judiciary.

“The country could be put on the road to progress after the independence of all national institutions including the judiciary,” he said.

Mr Ehsanuddin said the government could not divide the lawyers. He appreciated the media’s role during the current crisis and called upon political parties to maintain unity and formulate a common strategy to face the situation. He also urged civil society organizations to uphold the basic principles of human rights in Pakistan.

“Every citizen should play his or her role for implementation of human rights in the country otherwise the concept of democracy would become meaningless,” he stressed.

Commenting on the Karachi carnage, he said the city was an economical hub of the country, which should be freed from the clutches of fascist elements through a collective struggle.

Mr Ehsanuddin, who was also with Justice Chaudhry in Karachi on May 12, said that the MQM tried to send a message that nothing could happen in Karachi without its consent.

“The incident (May 12) had not just humiliated the chief justice of the country but insulted the entire judiciary,” he said. “It also exposed the real face of the ruling party, which has unleashed organized terror on political forces opposing dictatorship in the country.”

He accused the governor and chief minister Sindh of giving ‘free hand’ to the MQM to disrupt the bar meeting by shedding the blood of innocent people.

Our Correspondent from Chakwal adds: In their show of solidarity to Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry, the lawyers’ community on Wednesday boycotted the courts for an hour.

The strike by lawyers in Chakwal, Talagang and Choa Saiden Shah paralysed the legal proceedings, causing delays in hearings and hardships to the litigants.

Two senior lawyers — Malik Jahanzeb Tamman and Manzoor Jamil — participated in the hunger strike camp of the Chakwal District Bar Association that entered its 65th day.