ISLAMABAD, March 10: Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry, who has been restrained from functioning as the Chief Justice, is not going to step down voluntarily, claims Supreme Court Bar Association president Munir A. Malik.

“I along with other members of the SCBA have talked to the Chief Justice on his mobile phone and have requested him not to resign,” Mr Malik told journalists at the SCBA office here on Saturday.

He said that in response, the suspended Chief Justice, who is under house arrest since Friday, assured them that he would not resign voluntarily.

Later, during a press conference at the Supreme Court building, Mr Malik again called Justice Iftikhar from his mobile phone in the presence of journalists.

The SCBA president told him that he was holding a press conference and sought his permission to avail speaker facility provided in his cellular phone so that everybody could listen to whatever he wanted to say.

However, Justice Iftikhar requested Mr Malik not to put the phone near the mike and asked him to convey his regards to the journalists.