The lawyers of Karachi on Monday boycotted the court proceedings, held general body meetings and took out rallies as part of their Black Flag Week for restoration of deposed judges. The rallies were taken out at city courts, Sindh High Court and Malir courts.
Addressing a general body meeting of Sindh High Court Bar Association, its President Rashid A Rizvi said lawyers' fraternity and patriotic Pakistanis could never forget May 12, 2007 carnage as it was the blackest day in Pakistan's history. He said that one-year struggle of lawyers proved complete failure of military dictatorship and its political allies.
He claimed that President Musharraf had to quit his army office only due to the lawyers' campaign, adding their movement passed through difficult time. The lawyers' community is determined to continue their struggle till restoration of independent judiciary, reinstatement of deposed judges and supremacy of rule of law, he added.
Rizvi strongly condemned the administration for closure of SHC gates. Sarwar Khan, Naheed Afzal, Salahuddin Gandapur, Akhtar Hussain and others also spoke on the occasion. After the general body meeting, the members waving black flags in large numbers took out a procession around the High Court premises and hoisted black flags on all important places of High Court Building.
Meanwhile, President Karachi Bar Association, Mehmoodul Hassan addressing the general body meeting of KBA welcomed the Murree-meeting between PPP Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari and PML-N Chief Nawaz Sharif but said that after taking oath they would start counting the days for restoration of judiciary and reinstatement of deposed judges.
Advocate Nihal Hashmi presented the resolution demanding the incoming government not to regularise the judges who took oath under PCO. After the general body meeting the lawyers took out a rally on MA Jinnah road and observed sit-in for half an hour and chanted slogans against President Musharraf and demanded him to step down. Sathi Ishaq, Muhammad Ali Abbasi, Mushtaq Jahangiri, Saghir Khan and Shazia Mughal also spoke.