LAHORE, Aug 23: Justice Chaudhry Ijaz Ahmad of the Lahore High Court on Friday issued notices to the attorney-general and the Punjab advocate-general on a writ petition challenging the validity of Legal Framework Order, 2002.
Appearing on behalf of the Pakistan Lawyers Forum, A. K. Dogar contended that President Gen Musharraf had been acting against the Supreme Court directions in Zafar Ali Shah case from the outset. He had removed Rafiq Tarar in violation of the SC directions and held a referendum which was declared rigged and was criticized by the newspapers the world over. He had now issued the LFO 2002 which was the last nail in the coffin of democracy and required to be struck down immediately.
He said the government was unreliable and had made itself controversial by its behaviour. It had, therefore, become necessary that the power should be taken away from the present rulers and handed over to uncontroversial persons like Mr Fakharuddin G. Ibrahim, retired judges Ajmal Mian and Zafar Husain Mirza after receiving the consent of all the contesting political parties for holding fair and free general elections in the country.
He submitted that Chief Election Commissioner Irshad Hasan Khan was also a controversial personality and expressed the fear that he would not be able to hold fair elections and should be removed from the office. He said the government functionaries also required to be stopped from rigging the general elections.
LAWYERS: Black flags will be hoisted on the offices of the Bar associations and councils throughout the country on Aug 27 to launch the resistance movement against the Legal Framework Order, 2002.
Lahore High Court Bar Association secretary Shahid Mahmood Bhatti said in a statement on Friday lawyers wearing black armbands would take oath of allegiance to the Constitution after the hoisting of flags and then attend the courts.
He said the LHCBA would also convene a joint meeting of the Pakistan Bar Council, the Supreme Court Bar Association and Bar associations of the country to chalk out a plan to make concerted efforts for the repeal of LFO, 2002, in cooperation with the political, social and religious parties of the country.