LAHORE/OKARA/SAHIWAL, April 7: Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) president Aitzaz Ahsan has said the `minus-one formula’ was applicable to President Musharraf alone.
Addressing different bars on his way to Okara and Sahiwal from Lahore during his over 15 hours journey on Monday, he said “we accept the minus-one formula but this time minus-one is Musharaf and not Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry”.
After leaving Lahore in the morning, the SCBA president’s motorcade moved on the GT Road and attracted lawyers and general public throughout the 150km journey up to Sahiwal which ended at 11 pm.
During his sojourn meant to “thwart conspiracies of the Presidency to block the judges’ return”, Aitzaz addressed the Pattoki, Okara and Sahiwal bars.
In Sahiwal he was received by lawyers’ community and a large number of citizens. Activists of all political parties, including PPP, PML-N, Tehrik-i-insaaf, Jamat-i-Islami and traders’ organisations received him at Jogi Chowk.
He said after the 1958 imposition of first martial law, Pakistan which was envisaged as a welfare state by its founder was converted into a `national security state.’
In a national security state, he said, institutions like police, army and intelligence agencies flourished while the public suffered. “Our movement is meant to make Pakistan a welfare state.”
Talking to newsmen before leaving Lahore, Aitzaz claimed Gen Pervez Musharraf (retired) was also connected to the execution of PPP founder Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto. He was responding to a question whether the deposed judges should apologise for Zulfiqar Ali Bhuto's execution.
Aitzaz said Musharraf had been serving with Rawalpindi’s Deputy Division Martial Law Administrator (DMLA) Maj-Gen Rafi Alam.
Later, Musharraf was promoted to the rank of Lt-Col and assigned to oversee the martial law in Rawalapindi, Mr Ahsan said.
He added all the deposed judges would join the long march the lawyers would hold in case the government failed in restoring the pre-emergency judiciary in the agreed time span. He said not even the slightest deviation, under any package or formula, from the restoration of the deposed judges would be accepted. "We would not hesitate in issuing the call for a long march on Islamabad in case all the judges, including the deposed chief justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, were not restored," he said.
He said the PPP and the PML-N had not only promised the restoration of the judiciary but also the whole nation through the Murree Declaration.
He said if the government wanted to strengthen the judiciary through a constitutional package, it could go ahead but the restoration of the judges was a separate issue.
Mr Ahsan said the planned series of addresses of the deposed chief justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry to the bar associations had been put on hold on the request of Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani and Federal Law Minister Farooq H. Naik. Addressing the Okara bar, Aitzaz said the government had offered to reinstate 44 judges with one exception of Iftikhar Chaudhry. “But we categorically rejected this formula.”
He said the nation had rejected Musharraf and his allies on Feb 18 mainly due to the lawyers’ struggle.
Earlier, he was warmly received by the civil society and Anjumn Mazareen at Renala Khurd. Then a large number of lawyers, citizens and political activists welcomed him at Okara bypass. It took his motorcade three hours to reach the Okara bar because of the presence of a large number of people enroute.
PATTOKI: Addressing the Pattoki bar, Aitzaz asked lawyers to remain united in the hour of trial and struggle for a sublime cause and the supremacy of constitution in the country.
