LAHORE, April 24: Lawyers on Thursday criticised PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari for rejecting "countdown" for judges’ restoration at their weekly rally on The Mall where workers of PPP and PML-N were conspicuous by their absence.
"It's a betrayal of the promise made to the nation in the Muree Declaration," said Pakistan Bar Council member Hamid Khan in his address to the protesters.
The lawyers have started 30-day countdown - the span set by the heads of the coalition government in the Murree Declaration for the restoration of the judges - starting from the formation of the federal government.
The dialogue between Mr Zardari and Mr Sharif had hit a snag over the tenure of the chief justice before restoration of all the deposed judges. Both the parties differ on placing before the parliament the constitutional package, which includes the amendment to limit the chief justice's tenure, along with the resolution for the restoration of the deposed judges.
"The resolution and the constitutional package should be placed separately because we want revival of the judiciary to the Nov 2 status," said Anwar Kamal while addressing the general house of the Lahore High Court Bar Association.
Following in the footsteps of the PPP workers, who had disappeared from the lawyer' rally soon after the Feb 18 election, the PML-N workers too were missing from the Thursday rally. A lawyer said he had asked a PML-N leader to ensure the workers' presence, who did not heed his request probably because he had become a minister.
However, workers of Jamaat-i-Islami, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaaf, Tehreek-i-Khaksar, Women Action Forum and Concerned Citizens of Pakistan were present.
The Lahore Bar Association (LBA) after taking out rally joined the lawyers emerging from the Lahore High Court's main gate after attending the meeting of the general house of the LHCBA inside the Kyani Hall. Earlier, the LHCBA general house set up a fund to compensate families of the lawyers, who lost their lives and chambers in Karachi violence in the wake of the manhandling of Dr Sher Afgan Niazi. After the house unanimously carried a resolution in support of the fund, a lawyer Amir Sana advocate announced donating Rs10,000 for the purpose immediately.
The resolution demanded the government should compensate the loss lawyers suffered and register FIRs against the culprits.
Addressing the lawyers, Hamid Khan said: "According to the statements of the PML-N and the PPP leaders it is settled that the judges should be restored before April 30 and the constitutional package will not be mixed with reinstatement of judges."
He said if the coalition wanted to table any constitutional package on procedure of judges’ appointment, they should place it after tabling the resolution for the judges’ restoration.
LHCBA president Anwar Kamal said the package should not contain amendments which might disturb the "dynamic balance" prescribed in the constitution among the pillars of the state. PBC member Hafiz Abdul Rehman Ansari said the ruling parties were trying to delay judges’ restoration by forming committees to look into the matter, which did not even need a resolution. LHCBA secretary Rana Asadullah said the lawyers did respect the parliament, which should learn to maintain the gesture. Former LBA president Syed Mohammad Shah displayed the award the World Movement for Democracy conferred upon Pakistani lawyers for their movement.
Former LHCBA presidents Ahmed Awais, Firdous Butt and Justice (r) BA Fakhri also spoke.