LAHORE, Aug 22: The Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) has declared illegal General Pervaiz Musharraf’s campaign for his re-election to the office of President of Pakistan.

At a press conference here on Wednesday, SCBA Vice-president Sahibzada Anwar Hamid said the lawyers had decided in principal to launch an anti-Musharraf movement next month. He said the Pakistan Bar Council, the Punjab Bar Council, the Lahore High Court Bar Association and the Lahore Bar Association were onboard in deciding to launch a movement to oust Musharraf.

To a question, SCBA secretary Zulfiqar Ali Bokhari said the political parties were welcome to participate in the movement but the bar believed it should control the whole movement because it was by the lawyers. “Such movements should ideally be launched by the politicians but the lawyers took the initiative when they (politicians) failed to do so,” he said.

On the occasion, Mr Hamid said Gen Musharraf, in the best interest of the nation, should immediately withdraw his election campaign. He urged the chief election commissioner to take notice of ‘illegal’ and ‘unconstitutional’ campaign launched by the president.

He also condemned withdrawal of Sindh High Court judges’ police security by the provincial chief minister, terming the act a conspiracy to harass the judiciary.

Bokhari said the bar association fully supported the decisions of national importance taken by Supreme Court and activism by higher judiciary.

He condemned the removal-from-service notices served on Prof Nazim Hussain, Porf Majid Wazir and Prof Shafi Sabir for participating in lawyers’ movement. He warned if the notices were not withdrawn the lawyers would hold protests.