LAHORE, June 6: The Pakistan Bar Council has given a country-wide strike call for June 9 in protest against desecration of the Holy Quran at Guantanamo Bay, saying the sacrilege has injured religious feelings of the entire Muslim world. Appealing to bar associations across the country, PBC Vice-Chairperson Hafiz Abdur Rehman Ansari said at a news conference on Monday that lawyers would boycott courts and bar associations hold rallies and meetings to condemn the appalling incident.

The PBC leader said the government had failed to make a reaction matching the ghastly incident. It even failed to summon the US ambassador to serve on him a formal protest notice according to normal diplomatic norms. He said the political parties also showed a lukewarm reaction which could only be termed a lip service.

Mr Ansari asked Gen Musharraf to step down saying that he was not acceptable either as president or the army chief. He said the demand was based on a PBC resolution which said that the president had to be re-elected by the National Assembly, the Senate and the four provincial assemblies. — Correspondent