Lawyers have decided to resume street protests for the reinstatement of the deposed judges with a long march, "Adlia Bahali long march," on June 10. All Pakistan lawyers representatives' conference, held at the Lahore High Court Bar Association (KHCBA) here on Saturday, also decided to mobilise lawyers for their maximum participation in the long march.
The conference decided to hold conventions on May 24, 31 and June 10, and constituted an implementation committee to organise protests. The committee will decide the venues of convention and the route of the long march to be organised on June 10. The conference also decided to continue boycott of courts and take out rallies as usual on every Thursday.
The conference announced that deposed chief justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry would be the chief guest at all the three conventions. All the deposed judges would also be invited. The conference allowed Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) President Aitzaz Ahsan to contest by-elections, but Aitzaz, while addressing the newsmen, said he would announce his decision within the next two days.
Vice-Chairman of Pakistan Bar Council Said Rehman and SCBA President Aitzaz Ahsan, while addressing the mediamen after the conference, said the lawyers had led an epic struggle for the independence of judiciary and reinstatement of the deposed judges, who had refused to take oath under provisional constitutional order (PCO).
They said the judges and lawyers suffered imprisonment and torture at the hands of a dictator, but they opened the way for democracy, supremacy of the Constitution and rule of law in Pakistan. They said the lawyers were of the considered view that restoration of democracy and constitutional rule were imperative for economic growth and social development.
According to them, there should be a strong Parliament also. The people of Pakistan had supported the lawyers' movement and voted for the democratic parties opposed to Pervez Musharraf.
They said the bar representatives would make contacts with all the bars in Pakistan, asking them to join them and strengthen their struggle. They said the bar would also approach the civil society, students, trade unions and political parties, asking them to support the lawyers' struggle for reinstatement of the deposed judges.
They said the lawyers accepted the Murree Declaration signed by the leaders of major parties in the ruling coalition because the nation was promised that the judiciary would be restored within 30 days of the formation of the federal government. They said the lawyers and the people of Pakistan felt frustrated and disappointed that despite the promise, the judges had not been restored even during the extended period up to May 12.
They said Pakistan Bar Council resolved in its meeting, held at Islamabad on May 3, to formulate and articulate the future plans to intensify the lawyers' movement by holding national conventions of lawyers, long marches and other appropriate peaceful actions if the promised resolution was not passed by May 12 or it was subsequently frustrated by undemocratic forces, led by Pervez Musharraf or the PCO judges, acting in collaboration with him.
They, however, said if parliament restored the deposed judges, then lawyers would hold a ceremony to appreciate the decision, but added lawyers would not accept any constitutional package or restoration of the judges without deposed chief justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry.
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