LAHORE, March 6: Lahore High Court Bar Association president Ahmad Awais has said he is bound by his electoral commitment to work for constitution of a "grand assembly of jurists" for trying undemocratic people in national institutions on charges of subverting the constitution.

He was speaking at a reception hosted by the People's Lawyers Forum for the newly-elected LHCBA leadership here on Saturday.

Mr Awais said the trial would be held under Article 6 of the constitution which provided for action against those who usurped political power and deprived people of their right to be governed by political leaders. The trial, he hoped, would stop for all times to come intervention of undemocratic forces in the political process.

The LHCBA president said he was elected only for advancing the cause of a democratic order and rule of law.

Mr Awais called for disciplinary action against some PPP leaders, including Punjab president Qasim Zia, Lahore president Mian Misbahur Rehman and Senator Sardar Lateef Khosa, who, he said, had come to the high court bar in the form of a procession on the election day openly canvassing in favour of his rival who had worked for undemocratic forces in the past.

Speaking on the occasion, PPP secretary-general Jahangir Badar claimed that his party stood for political and socio-economic rights of the people and supported democratic forces in their struggle for an egalitarian society which the PPP cherished deeply and which it was determined to create with the help of the masses.

Mr Badar advised the new bar leadership to associate all sections of lawyers' community, regardless of their affiliation, in administering bar affairs. As for his supportive role, he said it was in accordance with PPP's policy, which bound it to stand by democratic forces. He said bar leaders Hamid Khan and Kazim Khan symbolized resistance to anti-democratic forces and his party was obliged to be with them in bar elections.

LHCBA vice-president Zulfiqar Ali Bokhari, secretary Azam Nazir Tarar, former Lahore High Court judge Malik Saeed Hasan, former federal minister SM Masood, former MPAs Aslam Gurdaspuri and Rana Shaukat Mahmood, PLF leader Tanvir Hashmi and Pakistan Bar Council executive committee chairperson Kazim Khan were prominent among other speakers at the reception.