Protestors came down hard on Musharraf for making statement after statement and criticised the protocol being accorded to him at govt expense. - ONLINE photo by Nadeem Khawer.

HYDERABAD Lawyers observed black day here Monday in response to appeal of National Coordination Council (NCC) of lawyers to protest against the dismissal of Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry by the then military dictator.

Lawyers wore black armbands and didn`t appear before courts. They held a general body meeting in Hyderabad District Bar Association (HDBA) which was presided over by Abdul Sattar Kazi, the president High Court Bar Association (HCBA) Hyderabad.

Those who spoke on the occasion included HDBA president Chaudhry Bashir Gujjar, HCBA president Abdul Sattar Kazi, Ayaz Palejo, Ayaz Tunio, Abdul Jabbar Belai and others.

Kazi said that lawyers only wanted independence of judiciary in the country as they have no personal grudge against anyone. He said that lawyers` struggle would continue come what may.

He came down hard on Pervez Musharraf for making statement after statement. He criticised protocol being accorded to him at government expense. He demanded of government to hold him accountable.

HDBA president Chaudhry Bashir Gujjar said that Pervez Musharraf should be tried for killing people in Lal Masjid and at PPP workers` camp in Islamabad. He said he had trampled over the constitution and then dismissed the chief justice by filing a reference. He added that case should be lodged for the crimes committed by him.

He appealed to President Asif Ali Zardari to reinstate Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry and said that late Benazir Bhutto had also promised that he would be reinstated as Chief Justice.

Ayaz Latif Palejo criticised those who were claiming that Chaudhry Iftikhar had become politicised. He reminded these people that they themselves were with him during the struggle and they should not forget because the same chief justice or judiciary would hear their petition if their government is dismissed. The same people would get relief from the same Supreme Court, he said.

He further said that people of Punjab were only struggling for independence of judiciary but people of Sindh also hoped that an independent judiciary would ensure provincial autonomy and their dear and near ones would not go missing.

He said that lawyers should not consider the sit-in as the last phase of the struggle because if the judges are not reinstated then the struggle would go on for months and years if necessary.