Supreme Court Bar President Chaudhry Aitzaz Ahsan has said that Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry is the Chief Justice of Pakistan and "we have to get him reinstated by all means". He said that the lawyers' community had postponed their long march, but if the judiciary was not restored, they would launch countrywide protests from March 9 to 16, including long march towards Islamabad.
He said that lawyers want a strong and powerful Parliament, but if the judges were not restored, any general could suspend the Parliament as a general did so in case of the higher judiciary.
He was addressing a rally after his release here on Sunday. He thanked the members of civil society who joined the lawyers' community in their just struggle for the restoration of the Judiciary. He said that the continuous struggle of lawyers, members of the civil society, Munir A Malik, Justice Tariq Mehmood, Ali Ahmed Kurd and others gave him courage. He paid tributes to the newly elected Lahore High Court Bar President Anwer Kamal and said his leadership had blown a new spirit in lawyer movement.
He said that those who say that the parliament could not undo the before November 3 moves of General Musharraf were, in fact, supporting him. He said that all steps taken by Musharraf before November 3 were illegal and unconstitutional.
Lawyers want a powerful Parliament and if the judiciary is not restored any general can suspend the Parliament and arrest the members and the ministers, he said.
He said that Benazir Bhutto on November 10 had said that Justice Chaudhry was the Chief Justice of Pakistan and she herself would hoist the national flag atop his house. He said that she had also announced that if the judges were not restored, she would go for long march. She wanted to launch long march, but she was put under house arrest in Lahore. "We have put off the long march because we want to give an opportunity to the Parliament to restore the Constitution and the judges and give freedom to media. But if it did not happen, we will launch countrywide protests from march 9 to 16. And if the judges were not restored then we will launch Long March towards Islamabad."
Caravans of lawyers, retried judges, political workers and civil society from every nook and corner of the country will proceeds to the federal capital, he said.