The legal fraternity on Monday announced a countrywide strike today (Tuesday) to revive their movement for reinstatement of deposed judges. The decision was taken by President of the Supreme Court Bar Association, Ali Ahmed Kurd, during a peaceful sit-in in front of the Parliament House.
In a pursuit to regain lost momentum of their movement, the legal fraternity staged a peaceful sit-in to condemn the imposition of emergency by former president Pervez Musharraf when he removed almost 60 judges. Among these, almost 20 have been re-instated by having fresh oaths under the PPP-led government. A large number of lawyers and Bar members from different parts of the country assembled at Rawalpindi.
Earlier in the day, lawyers held a congregation at Rawalpindi which was addressed by deposed chief justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, Ali Ahmad Kurd and Aitzaz Ahsan. Lawyers boycotted the Islamabad High Court, Lahore High Court, Rawalpindi Bench, and the subordinate courts to welcome the deposed chief justice.
As many as 1000 representatives of Bar associations, political leaders from PML-N, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, Jamat-e-Islami and civil society representatives marched from Rawalpindi to Parliament House to stage a two-hour sit-in to press the government for reinstatement of deposed judges.
The air was ringing with anti-government slogans, disapproval of Abdul Hameed Dogar as Chief Justice and Asif Ali Zardari as President. The protesters even went on to say 'Zardari the Killer of Judiciary' and 'Zardari the conspirator.'
The procession was led by Ali Ahmed Kurd, Chairman of National Co-ordination Council (NCC) Aitzaz Ahsan, Makhdoom Javed Hashmi, Sardar Asmat Ullah, President Rawalpindi Bar Association and Haroon Rasheed, President Islamabad Bar Association. In addition, former Justice Tariq Mehmood, Munir A Malik, Rasheed A Rizvi and Anwar Kamal were also present there.
Addressing the protesters, Kurd said that lawyers believe in non-violence and would remain peaceful till the reinstatement of Iftikhar Chaudhry, adding we do not want to use force for reinstatement of deposed judges.
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