ISLAMABAD, May 12: A recently-formed National Action Committee of lawyers will invite Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry to address members of the legal fraternity in the Supreme Court premises.
The committee comprising leaders of the Pakistan Bar Council, provincial bar councils, Supreme Court Bar Association, high court bar associations and district bar associations authorised SCBA president Muneer A. Malik to meet the chief justice and finalise a convenient date.
Jointly presided over by PBC vice-chairman Mirza Aziz Akbar Baig, Mr Malik and PBC’s executive committee chairman Qazi Mohammad Anwar on Friday in the SCBA Library, the committee unanimously demanded that the government should immediately withdraw the “mala fide” reference filed against the chief justice by President Gen Pervez Musharraf.
The NAC also rejected the code of conduct for media issued by the Supreme Court and declared it against the fundamental right of freedom of speech as guaranteed under Article 19 of the Constitution.
Through a resolution, the committee resolved to continue observing daily one-hour strike. However, the timings of the strike would be determined by respective bar associations as per local conditions to keep up the momentum of the lawyers’ struggle for the independence of judiciary, rule of law and protest against the filing of the reference. In the Supreme Court, the strike will be observed from 11am to 12 noon. Sardar Mohammad Latif Khan Khosa has been tasked to enforce the strike in the apex court.
Also, a four-hour token hunger strike will be observed daily from 10am to 2pm by at least two advocates in each bar association throughout the country. Raja Mohammad Shafqat Abbasi will take necessary steps to establish a hunger strike camp in or outside the Supreme Court building in collaboration with local bar associations.
A complete strike will be observed every Thursday when lawyers will boycott courts, hold protest meetings and take out processions in all bar associations. A call will also be given to civil society organisations, professional bodies and political parties to observe a protest day every Thursday to support the lawyers’ movement.
The committee also adopted a resolution that entry of advocates in the Supreme Court premises on dates of hearing of the case of the chief justice by the 14-member full court should not be restricted. The entry of representatives of the media into the court premises for covering court proceedings should not be restricted because the nation had the right to be informed about the proceedings of the open court, it stated.
The committee also requested Acting Chief Justice Rana Bhagwandas to order hearing of the case of the chief justice in the Auditorium.
It also condemned the sealing of the office and the firing on the residence of Mr Malik in Karachi and demanded a judicial inquiry into the matter by a high court judge.