The lawyers' community on Saturday urged the parliamentarians to resign to block the illegal and unconstitutional attempt of General Pervez Musharraf to seek re-election from the present assemblies, the community announced a black day on September 27, the day of filing of nomination papers.
The lawyers expressed their views during the All Pakistan Lawyers' Conference that was held under the auspices of the Lahore High Court Bar Association (LHCBA). Speaking on the occasion they also called for replacing the Election Commissioner by independent former Judges of the Supreme Court who did not take oath under the PCO and should be given the responsibility for holding the forth coming elections in a transparent manner.
These measures could help establish the democratic institutions in the country in accordance with the wishes of the People of Pakistan. The community also urged the government to allow Benazir Bhutto, Mian Nawaz Sharif and all other exiled political leaders to return to Pakistan. They also said that all political cases against them should be withdrawn so that they could participate in the electoral process that would be free of constraint to ensure true representative, democratic culture in the country and to empower 160 million people of Pakistan.
They also asked the prime minister and his Cabinet to resign, for subverting the Constitution and urged setting up of a impartial care taker government, establishment of an independent Election Commission of Pakistan for free and fair elections to pave the way for democracy.
Criticising the decision of Election Commission of amending the rules relating to the Presidential Election they said that the commission had no authority to amend the Constitution. Adding they said by doing so the commission had shown its subservience to General Pervez Musharraf Pakistan, instead independent body entitled for conducting free and fair elections in the country.
Regarding the schedule of the Presidential Elections issued by the commission, they said that it was ultra vires as the present assemblies which have almost completed their tenure having once exercised their vote of confidence in favour of the incumbent General Pervez Musharraf giving him legitimacy in office for five-years cannot be conferred the power to elect a President for another term which tantamount to pre-empting the rights of the incoming assemblies. The President in uniform is a negation of the ethos of the Constitution and repugnant to the true meaning of democracy.
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