KARACHI, June 19: The Karachi Bar Association on Wednesday decided to organise a rally next week in an attempt together various civil society organisations, including traders, labourers and low-income groups, to protest against price hike, excessive load-shedding, unemployment and other injustices.

KBA General-Secretary Naeem Qureshi, while addressing a general body meeting of the association at the Shuhada-i-Punjab Hall, said the people’s problems were on the rise but the government was unable to fulfil its prime responsibilities.

He said the people were expecting that the government would bring down the rates of daily use commodities, particularly food items, but no relief was given to the poverty-stricken people. Rather, their problems were increasing. He said that if the judiciary’s independence was ensured, most of the problems would be solved.

He criticised President Pervez Musharraf saying that despite holding two offices — those of president and army chief — he was unable to tackle the increasing problems the country was facing.

KBA Vice-President Qadir Khan, Joint Secretary Amir Niaz Khan and Sardar Tariq Khan Niazi also spoke on the occasion.

They said the government policies had failed and as a result the poor were getting poorer and the rich were getting richer. They vowed to continue the struggle for the reinstatement of the Chief Justice of Pakistan, Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry, as it was a matter of life and death for the legal fraternity.

They expressed the hope that the lawyers’ struggle would bear fruit and the rulers themselves would liberate the judiciary, saying that it was now the demand of the entire nation. They said the people’s zeal for the independence of the judiciary could be judged from the massive crowds accompanying the chief justice’s processions in different parts of the country.

Speakers also criticised the United Kingdom for conferring a knighthood upon Salman Rushdie, saying that such policies of the British government would further widen the gulf between Muslims and non-Muslims.

SHCBA MEETING: Members of Sindh High Court Bar Association also held a meeting, which was addressed by Nihal Hashmi and Shoa-ul-Nabi. They said the struggle for the rule of law would continue till the reinstatement of the CJ.