Main opposition parties will launch a protest campaign against the decision of President Musharraf to file a reference against Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, making him 'non-functional.' The decision-taken here on Monday at an emergency meeting of top opposition parties-comes amid Supreme Judicial Council takes up the matter on Tuesday.
Leaders of Peoples Party Parliamentarians, Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal, Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz), Awami National Party and Tehrik-e-Insaf met here at the residence of Qazi Hussain Ahmed to discuss the situation arising out of presidential reference against Justice Iftikhar.
"We have planned series of programmes to protest against the move," Qazi told the news conference after the meeting. The plan includes protest rally to be taken out from Parliament House to Supreme Court on Tuesday, the day when Supreme Judicial Council takes up the reference, the MMA president said.
He disclosed that all the opposition parties along with lawyers community would be on a nation-wide strike on Friday, aimed at protesting against Musharraf regime and expressing solidarity with suspended Justice Iftikhar.
Opposition leader in the National Assembly, Maulana Fazlur Rehman, PML-N leader Raja Zafarul Haq, Chaudhry Nisar, Imran Khan, Azim Hoti, Nayar Bokhari, Lieutenant General Hamid Gul (Retd), Advocate Akram and others attended the meeting, dubbed as All Parties Conference (APC).
The opposition leaders and legal fraternity termed General Musharraf's move as unconstitutional, illegal and immoral. "General Musharraf has no right to take action against the Chief Justice. Who has given him (General Musharraf) the right to summon Justice Iftikhar in the Army House," the MMA leader lamented. He said, "All the opposition parties have decided to mobilise the public on the very important and sensitive issue."
The APC also condemned baton-charge on lawyers protesting against the reference in Lahore. "We are with the lawyers and jointly protest against the present regime," Qazi vowed. Lawyers took to the streets across the country on Monday to lodge their protest against the presidential reference. Qazi maintained that Justice Iftikhar's controversy would now be one of the major talking points in the proposed APC in London.