LAHORE, Dec 8: Lawyers on Saturday demanded trial of Gen Pervez Musharraf (retired) under Article 6 of the Constitution, and passed a resolution demanding the restoration of judiciary to what it was on Nov 2.
The demand was voiced at All Pakistan Lawyer’s Representatives Convention held at the office of the Punjab Bar Council (PbBC). Representative of lawyers from across the country and students participated in the convention.
The resolution, carried unanimously, demanded the political parties should boycott the upcoming polls, apprehending these would be rigged massively.
It rejected the proclamation of emergency and the Provisional Constitution Order and refused to recognise judges, who took oath under it. The resolution also termed the judges who did not take oath under PCO the heroes of nation and condemned their eviction from their official residences.
The resolution condemned the foreign intervention in Pakistan’s internal matters, especially by the British High Commissioner, and demanded immediate halt to such acts.
It further demanded resumption of broadcasting of GEO TV and other private channels and condemned the Pemra Ordinance. “It is tantamount to strangulating the independent journalism,” it added.
The house declared Attorney General of Pakistan Malik Qayum and Sharifuddin Pirzada `undesirable personalities’.
It demanded immediate withdrawal of eviction notices served on judges, deployment of police outside their houses, observing lawyers could protect the judges themselves.
The house further termed the amendments to Army Act and legal practitioners and Bar Council Act illegal. It further said Pervez Musharraf was constitutionally and legally not the president of the country.
The convention also demanded immediate release of all the detained lawyers, including Supreme Court Bar Association President Aitzaz Ahsan, former president Munir A Malik, Ali Ahmad Kurd, Justice Tariq Mahmood (retired), Baz Mohammad Kakar, Hadi Shakeel Ahmad, members of civil society and political activists. It further demanded withdrawal of cases lodged against them.
It rejected the caretaker setup and described it as ‘B team’ of dictatorial regime. It strongly condemned manhandling and forced exile of Justice Wajihuddin retired from Punjab and police highhandedness against the lawyers.
The convention pledged the lawyers would continue their struggle for the restoration of Constitution, rule of law and independence of judiciary, irrespective of their political affiliations.
Earlier, addressing the convention, Balochistan Bar Council Executive Committee chairman Noor Muhammad Baloch said consummation of idea of Pakistan occurred in Balochistan, deploring whenever Baloch people rose for their rights they were either killed or hanged.
NWFP Bar Council representative Muhammad Yaqoob Khan said if Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kyani wanted to restore the image of army, he should arrest Gen Musharraf and produce him before lawyers. He added the government blocked television programmes like ‘Live with Talat’ to deprive the masses of awareness.
Hyderabad High Court Bar Association president Abdul Sattar Qazi condemned Justice Abdul Hameed Dogar for taking oath under the PCO and praised students from Punjab. “I pray the students of Sindh came out of MQM’s politics and worked for the betterment of the country,” he said
Lahore Bar Association president Syed Mohammad Shah said the LHCBA should shake off police from high court premises. He said he would move a resolution for cancellation of licenses of lawyers appearing before the LHC judges.
LHCBA president Ahsan Bhoon said the bar was not afraid of police and believed in one-point agenda of restoration of judiciary in the country. He added the LHCBA would take out a rally on Monday to GPO crossing, along with members of civil society and students. Bhoon assured the house he would effectively deal with the issue of appearance of lawyers before judges, who had taken oath under the PCO.
PbBC Executive Committee Chairman Arbab Ahmad Syed emphasised on trial of Gen Musharraf (retired) under Article 6 of the Constitution and urged lawyers not to appear before PCO judges in Lahore.
Pakistan Bar Counci member Hamid Khan condemned Justice Abdul Hameed Dogar for taking oath under the PCO and praised lawyers for keeping the boycott of PCO judges. He said that he had spoken with Munir A Malik, Justice Tariq Mahmood (retired) and Ali Ahmad Kurd, who sent the message of love for all lawyers. He said the lawyers stood behind Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry because he said ‘no’ to a dictator. He praised him for saying ‘no’ again to the Saudi ambassador.
PbBC vice chairman Tariq Javed Warraich said the PCO judges’ verdicts would not be recorded in the PLJ (law journal) because from now on it would carry bar council resolutions and articles by lawyers.
Justice (retd) Nasira Javed Iqbal, Justice (retd) Khalil-ur-Rehman Khan, Azad Kashmir Bar Association president, Balochistan Bar Council secretary and members of Sindh Bar council and Hyderabad Bar Association also spoke.
