LAHORE, Oct 12: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) MNA Saad Rafique has urged the All Parties Democratic Alliance to expel Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl Chief Maulana Fazlur Rahman for his “dubious character”.

He was speaking at a seminar organised by the PML Lawyers’ Forum to condemn the eighth years of the Oct 12 coup at Karachi Shuhada Hall of the Lahore High Court Bar Association (LHCBA).

“The alliance should expel Maulana Fazl, who toed the establishment’s line,” Mr Rafique said.

He said the domination of personalities that blocks democracy from taking roots in political parties and discourages workers and leaders. He said leaders and not workers were responsible for the botched attempt to receive Mian Nawaz Sharif upon his landing on Islamabad airport on Sept 10.

He said if the political parties carried black sheep within its file and rank, the lawyers too had characters like Malik Muhammad Qayyum, Ahmad Raza Kasuri and Sharifuddin Pirzada. He lashed out at Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairperson Benazir Bhutto for stating that she would allow NATO forces to operate inside Pakistan and provide the International Atomic Energy Agency access to Dr Abdul Qadir Khan.

He said Ms Bhutto should be opposed and revolted against for toeing the US agenda of making Pakistan its colony. He said, “We expect PPP MNA Aitezaz Ahsan to hurl the first stone (at her policies). If he does so, we might support him for the president’s slot of the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA).”

He said Gen Musharraf and his lackeys would soon succeed in causing Waziristan to fall.

“What do you expect from the tribesmen when you kill their women and children in a display of naked aggression? Why will they be the part of Pakistan?” he asked.

Advocate Ahmad Awais, former LHCBA president, said delivering speeches in big halls could not be a substitute for street protest to oust the dictatorial regime. He added Gen Musharraf was guilty of ditching Pakistan’s stance on Kashmir and stabbing freedom fighters in their back, besides committing a crime by allowing India to fence the Line of Control.

He said soon Pakistan would be begging for water because it had allowed India the construction of Baglihar dam.

He said justices Javed Iqbal and Abdul Hameed Dogr should not sit on the larger benches hearing important constitutional matters. When Gen Musharraf illegally suspended Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry and issued a notification, Justice Iqbal, instead of giving him a notice under article 6 of the Constitution, preferred taking oath administered by Justice Dogr.

Hafiz Abdul Rehman Ansari said that lawyers and politicians had one last chance to overthrow Gen Musharraf.

Syed Zulfiqar Bukhari, the SCBA secretary, said it was unfortunate that lawyers had failed to wake the political parties up.

“Politicians are ready to talk, enter into deals and make all sorts of arrangements with Gen Musharraf,” he said. Referring to Maulana Fazl, he said he had heard that mullas could be bought but he did not know that they could be bought so cheap.

Naseer Bhutta, the Punjab PML Lawyers’ Forum president, said 99.9 per cent of the people hated Gen Musharraf and he wanted to tell the

participants that he hated him too.

Advocate Wali Muhammad Khan said he would urge the chief justice to have his name written in history in golden words by fulfilling the aspirations of people.

Advocate Ghulam Farid Snobra said the PPP-Musharraf deal showed that not only judges but politicians were too helping the military junta. He added the military would ruin the federation if power was not returned to people.

Abdul Majid Chaudhry, Javed Iqbal Raja and Abdul Hameed Al Mashriqi also spoke.