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LAHORE: Supreme Court Bar Association president Asma Jahangir has said that calling out military to quell violence in Karachi is not a good option because it will lead to usurpation of fundamental rights of the citizen.
Addressing a press conference at an Iftar party here on Tuesday at the Lahore registry of Supreme Court, she said the legal fraternity would strongly oppose the deployment of army in Karachi because military courts would be set up there and powers of judiciary would be clipped.
She said the law and order situation could be controlled in the violence-plagued city by strengthening the powers of police and Rangers.
She said that political parties demanding military operation in Karachi should keep in mind that Hyderabad was not far away.
She blamed the Muttahida Qaumi Movement and other political parties for shattering peace in Karachi and for incidents of extortion in the city. She advised all political parties having militant wings to throw out such elements from their ranks.
Ms Jahangir urged all political leaders to go to the city and sit together and find out a political solution to the problem, instead of inviting the army. She warned leaders of political parties to shun politics on language because it was not good for the country.
“We all should work together to remove hatred,” she said.
Discouraging the demands being made by different quarters for deployment of army in Karachi, she raised a question whether military operation was successful to maintain peace in Balochistan.
Replying a question about statements being made by some political parties to hold fresh elections, Ms Jahangir said democratic system in the country should not be derailed.
She clarified her earlier statement at the Sindh High Court Bar and said she had not talked about any long march.
She said the SCBA was planning to set up a centre of excellence in Islamabad at a cost of Rs2 billion for lawyers across the country.
She said that a meeting of bar’s executive committee had been convened to invite tenders in this regard. Ms Jahangir said the SCBA would host a conference “Justice for all, imparity for none” in Lahore on Sept 9 to 11.
The Chief Justice of Pakistan will be chief guest and lawyers from across the world will attend the conference.
