LAHORE, June 21: Lawyers boycotted the court proceedings on Thursday and took out a procession in connection with their campaign for the independence of judiciary. The procession was taken out from the Aiwan-i-Adl after a meeting of the Lahore Bar Association. The Lahore High Court Bar Association also held a meeting at the Karachi Shuhada Hall and joined the procession at the GPO Chowk along with the workers of political parties and representatives of civil society organisations.

The joint procession marched to the Faisal Square where Pakistan People’s Party workers led by secretary-general Jehangir Badr and Punjab president Shah Mahmood Qureshi welcomed it.

The PPP leaders said the people supported the struggle for the restoration of independence of the judiciary and rule of law.

Addressing the meeting of lawyers before the departure of the procession, LHCBA president Ahsan Bhoon condemned conferring of knighthood on Salman Rushdie by the British government, and described it as part of a pre-meditated plan to hurt the sentiments of the Muslims around the world. He urged the British government to respect the feelings of the Muslims and withdraw the title.

He condemned moving of a reference against Tehrik-i-Insaaf chairman Imran Khan by National Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Amir Husain. He said the reference had been moved against Mr Khan as a reaction to the campaign launched by him against the MQM for May 12 Karachi carnage.

He also condemned the bid on 80-year-old Amanullah Lak’s life and serving of ejection notices on tenants by the Evacuee Trust Property Board for setting up a ‘sabeel’ for the procession of the lawyers.

LHCBA secretary-general Sarfraz Cheema said the government had been unnerved by the successful movement of the bar and was resorting to pressure tactics to stop it. Not only he had been attacked but his father had also been threatened with dire consequences.