LAHORE, April 26: The Lahore High Court Bar Association has resolved to oppose the establishment of a high court bench at Faisalabad on the ground that it will harm the independence of the judiciary.

Abdur Rashid Qureshi moved the resolution, which was unanimously adopted by a general house meeting of the Bar on Monday. Vice-president Syed Zulfiqar Ali Bokhari presided. Mr Bokhari told the meeting that Chief Justice Iftikhar Husain Chaudhry, during a meeting in connection with the proposed bench at Faisalabad, assured the Bar of his cooperation on the issue.

He said the lawyers were struggling for the independence of the judiciary. The Bar was opposed to the new bench in principle and its campaign was not directed against an area or a group of lawyers in the province.

The resolution said that the announcement of the prime minister about the setting up of a bench at Faisalabad seemed a publicity rhetoric. The proposal was neither aimed at benefiting the lawyers nor the independence of judiciary.

It said the Lahore High Court had its jurisdiction extended to all over the Punjab till dictator Ziaul Haq ordered the setting up of benches at Bahawalpur, Multan and Rawalpindi. The government would not be able to dent the unity of lawyers on the establishment of another bench which appeared to be the objective of the decision.

It said the lawyers wanted the restoration of the high court's prestige when no relative of a judge could practice law in the court of his appointment, when judges had no social life and when private audience of litigants was considered a criminal offence.

Such steps could alone salvage the dignity of the superior courts, the resolution added. It also pointed out to a writ petition which challenged earlier setting up of benches was still pending in the Lahore High Court. The establishment of another bench without knowing the opinion of the judiciary would amount to contempt of court.