LAHORE, March 9: A war of fiery words erupted between PPP leaders Latif Khosa and Barrister Aitzaz Ahsan over the judiciary issue.

Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) President Aitzaz Ahsan and a vast majority of lawyers wanted reinstatement of superior courts judges deposed under the Nov 3 Provisional Constitution Order (PCO) immediately through an executive order of the prime minister or interior minister or a parliamentary resolution while Khosa and some other lawyers wanted the restoration of the deposed judges through an amendment to the Constitution with a two-thirds majority.

Talking to reporters here on Sunday before the Murree Declaration, Khosa, who is also a member of the Pakistan Bar Council (PBC), criticised Aitzaz for giving a call to observe black flag week from March 9 to March 16, questioning whether he had left Islam by resorting to "black agitation" on the auspicious occasion of the birth of Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him).

On the other hand, Aitzaz responded harshly to Khosa’s comments, smashing them summarily and terming them uncalled for.

While talking to the media during a chat aired live on private channels soon after signing of the Murree Declaration at around 6pm on Sunday, Aitzaz severely ridiculed Khosa by confronting the reporter who asked him to comment on Khosa’s statement regarding his religious status after giving a black flag week call in the sacred month.

Aitizaz mockingly asked the reporter that he was putting an absurd question and that whether Khosa was a religious scholar to decree an edict regarding his (Aitzaz’s) religious faith.

Earlier, responding to a query whether the PPP was supporting the black flag week or not, Khosa had said: "The nation is celebrating the birth of the Prophet and Aitzaz must review his decision of observing the black flag week and instead pray (for the independence of judiciary).”

He said the PPP had not abandoned the lawyers’ struggle. But, the people had rejected the politics of agitation and the PPP wanted restoration of deposed judges from the platform of the parliament, he added.

Khosa asked Aitzaz to give some space and time to the PPP, which was yet to form the government, asking whether he (Aitzaz) wanted to destabilise the government of his own party. "If he wants the PPP to crash land before take-off," he said while categorically dissociating the PBC from the black flag week call. “The PBC had not given any such call,” he said claiming that he himself was the “body”.

He said the SCBA and all other bar associations were subordinate to the PBC, which was going to meet on March 14 to decide its future course of action regarding the lawyers’ movement. Khosa said the PBC would never desire agitation or clash during the holy month. The PBC wanted to take all along and did not desire clerics to object to its course of action (for the judges’ restoration) during the holy month.