LAHORE, Dec 17: Chief Justice Abdul Hameed Dogar should step down in a week or lawyers will launch a drive to dislodge him, said PML-N Lawyers’ Forum President Khwaja Mahmood Ahmad at a press conference on Wednesday.

Mr Mahmood said he had talked to bar associations and bar councils about the movement against Justice Dogar and “we are on the same page”.

He said ever since it emerged that Justice Dogar had managed additional marks for his daughter, people lost trust in the judiciary.

He said the National Assembly Standing Committee on Education should take the matter to its logical end.He said when the committee initiated the probe last month, a statement was issued in the press that according to Article 68 of the Constitution, parliament could not debate a judge’s duties. This should not stop the committee from proceeding into the matter because managing illegal marks did not fall under a judge’s duties.

He said the chief justice should appear before the committee and explain his point of view.

Mr Ahmad alleged the federal government was hatching conspiracies against the Punjab government through Governor Salmaan Taseer.

He said Taseer could not name the Lahore High Court chief justice as acting governor as the separation of powers of judiciary and executive had taken place. He said it was an attempt to discredit the PML-N provincial government, which was working very hard for the betterment of people.