KARACHI, April 19: Lawyers have reacted strongly to the registration of an FIR against them and said that Sindh Chief Minister Dr Arbab Ghulam Rahim’s attempt to scare them has only further strengthened their unity.
Lawyers in the City Courts stayed away form court proceedings from 10.30am to 11.30am and held a general body meeting during the one hour boycott.
Speakers at the general body meeting said that during the 41-day campaign, lawyers in the metropolis have never resorted to violence and had always remained peaceful. They said holding of demonstrations and taking out processions were their legal rights and nobody could deter them from these.
They said there would be a complete strike on April 24 during Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry’s appearance in the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC). They said members of various political parties and civil society activists were also invited to join them in the struggle for independence of the judiciary and the reinstatement of the CJP.
They said a procession would be taken out on the next hearing of CJP’s case and the decision to hold demonstrations in front of the Sindh CM’s house would be decided later.
Sindh Bar Council members Noor Naz Agha, Mehmood-ul-Hassan, Karachi Bar Association Vice President Qadir Khan, General Secretary Naeem Qureshi, KBA members Naheed Afzal, Iqbal Aqil, Shahadat Awan, Arshad Jadoon and Waqar Shah in their speeches condemned the registration of FIR against lawyers and said they were ready to face whatever action the government had in store for them.
They said during the ongoing campaign two FIRs were registered by the government against lawyers in Karachi. They said FIR was not a new thing for them and that they were determined to continue the campaign for the rule of law, independence of the judiciary and reinstatement of the CJP.
Speakers said no good could be expected from the Supreme Judicial Council and lawyers across the country were united to continue the campaign. They said Iftikhar Chaudhry had already expressed his reservations about two members of the SJC who, they said, were morally bound to quit without delay.
Eleven members of the Karachi Bar Association observed a token hunger strike in the City Courts. They were Syed Mohammad Ahsan, Noor Mohammad, Mohammad Kashif Arain, Imtiaz Ali Effendi, Mohammad Anis Khanzada, Adil Khanzai, Salman Abbasi, Amir Maqsood, Syed Inayat Shah, Syed Aley Ahmed and Waheed-ur-Rehman Qureshi.
Lawyers in Malir district also boycotted court proceedings for an hour, from 10.30am to 11.30am. Four members of the Malir Bar Association (MBA) observed a token strike. They were Sathi Ishaq, Khalil Qureshi, Mushaffy Ahmed and Zulfiqar Ali.
President of MBA Zahoor Hussain Mehar condemned the registration of an FIR against lawyers and said it would not affect the lawyers’ campaign for independence of the judiciary. He said the next line of action regarding protest on April 24 would be decided within the next few days.
SBC CONDEMNS: The Sindh Bar Council (SBC) has condemned the registration of an FIR against lawyers at Artillery Maidan Police Station and termed it totally baseless.
In a joint statement, Vice Chairman of SBC Mohammad Amin Lakhani, council members Mustafa Lakhani, Salahuddin Gandapur, Sadiq Hidayatullah, Mohammad Aqil, Zia Awan, Mohammad Khalil Dogar, Fahim Riazuddin Siddiqui and Sathi M. Ishaq said that the Sindh government could not stop lawyers from continuing their campaign for the independence of the judiciary and the rule of law.
They said suspension of the CJP was based on mala fide intentions and the president’s act against him was unconstitutional. They pledged to continue the struggle for the independence of the judiciary and strengthening of democratic institutions in the country.
Meanwhile, Chairman Human Rights Committee of the Sindh Bar Council Aqil Lodhi, while speaking at a meeting of the committee, also condemned the FIR. “Being an accused in the FIR, I will not get bail before arrest from the court. I prefer to offer my arrest before Chief Justice of the Sindh High Court Sabihuddin Ahmed,” he said.
POLITICIANS’ RESPONSE: Former Prime Minister and chief of Pakistan Muslim League (N) Mian Nawaz Sharif, while talking to KBA member Arshad Khan Jadoon, condemned the registration of an FIR against lawyers.
He said it was an attempt to suppress lawyers. He said lawyers were fighting for their legal rights and any action against them would be unconstitutional. He assured lawyers of full support from his party.
Political secretary of Benazir Bhutto and Member National Assembly Naheed Khan has condemned the lodging of an FIR against lawyers and said Sindh CM Arbab Ghulam Rahim, by doing so, wanted to take revenge from lawyers.
She said there was difference in the words and deeds of the CM, who had registered a case against lawyers and was blaming workers of Pakistan People’s Party for staging a demonstration in front of his house.
“If the demonstration was held by PPP workers, then why (did) the CM implicate members of the Pakistan Bar Council, Sindh Bar Council and Karachi Bar Association in the baseless case?” she asked. Naheed Khan said the CM was continuously speaking against the CJP and opposing lawyers’ campaign in order to oblige some military generals.
She said the time was near when the CM himself would be seeking justice from the courts, but lawyers would not defend him.
PMA SUPPORT: Pakistan Medical Association Karachi has also announced support for the lawyers’ campaign for the independence of the judiciary and reinstatement of Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry.
Labelling the suspension of the CJP as unconstitutional, the PMA said it would soon convene a meeting of professional and civil society organizations to discuss the latest situation.
It said the decision to support the lawyers’ campaign was in response to an appeal of the Pakistan Bar Council to professionals and members of civil society to support the struggle for the judiciary’s independence.