Lawyers stick to Dogar’s trial demand

Published December 19, 2008

LAHORE, Dec 18: Lawyers resumed their protest for the restoration of deposed chief justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry and his fellow judges after a break last week owing to low presence of lawyers because of Eid.

The ‘Thursday protest’ has become a regular feature of the lawyers’ movement, with the Lahore High Court Bar Association and the Lahore Bar Association holding their flags high. A number of political workers and civil society activists rallied with the lawyer to press the government for restoration of the deposed judges.

The protesters marched from the Aiwan-i-Adl to Charing Cross while chanting slogans against the government and Chief Justice of Pakistan Abdul Hameed Dogar. The latter came under fire for getting additional marks for his daughter.

Among the protesters were activists of the PML-N, the Jamaat-i-Islami, the Pakhtoonkhwa Milli Awami Party, the Tehrik-i-Insaaf, the Tehrik-i-Khaksar, the Labour Party and the Jamiat Ulema-i-Pakistan.

Speaking to the protesters on The Mall, Supreme Court Bar Association President Hamid Khan said the lawyers, the civil society and political parties were united on having the sacked chief justice restored. He said allegation against Justice Dogar had strengthened the lawyers’ stance against him, adding that the lawyers wanted trial of the chief justice. — Staff Reporter