RAWALPINDI, March 13: Lawyers in Pindi and Attock districts observed complete strike and staged rallies on the fifth day of the black flag week on Thursday.

In Pindi the lawyers burnt an effigy of President Pervez Musharraf on a road leading to Army House.

According to an eye witness, lawyers staged a big rally and gathered at busy Kachari Chowk and then began their march towards the official residence of the President but they were stopped by heavy contingent of police at check post on the road. On their way back to the district courts lawyers burnt the effigy.

Earlier addressing a meeting of Rawalpindi Bar Association (RBA) former president Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) Hamid Khan said the ongoing legal community’s movement for supremacy of law and freedom of judiciary had entered into its decisive phase and now it was time for legal fraternity to keep a vigilant eye on the intrigues being hatched to make the struggle unsuccessful.

President Lahore High Court Bar Association (LHCBA) Rawalpindi Sardar Ismat Ullah Khan and Sardar Tariq Masood President RBA welcomed him on his arrival while a large number of lawyers were present on the occasion. Lawyer showered rose petals on Hamid Khan and chanted slogans against the regime.

According to a press release issued by RBA, the senior lawyer Hamid Khan termed the Army House a centre of conspiracies but encouraging his community he added that to face all these challenges, the lawyers should uphold unity in their rank and file. He further maintained that the next one month was very important for the movement and the lawyers should speed up their efforts by enhancing their activities in this regard.

Hamid Khan said that the lawyers would resist any mid night operation against their struggle which they started for the restoration of judges at this important juncture when the campaign was moving towards the success.

Former president SCBA said that the establishment on the instructions of President Musharraf was trying to create differences among two major political parties to avoid the restoration of deposed judges including Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry.

“The President’s camp is misguiding the nation by unfolding an unnecessary discussion that two third majority is required for the reinstatement of displaced judges,” remarked Hamid Khan.

He maintained that as a matter of fact the Parliament would pass only an executive order by simple majority and all the judges would be restored automatically.