The lawyers' movement will not fizzle out even if all the deposed judges of the high courts take a fresh oath. This was stated by the Supreme Court Bar Association media advisor/co-ordinator Muhammad Azhar Siddique while commenting on oath taking by four judges of the Lahore High Court who had refused to take oath under the PCO on 3rd November 2007.
Talking to Business Recorder on Saturday, Siddique said lawyers and civil society had launched a movement for the reinstatement of Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry some 18 months ago and they will continue it till its success. "Justice Iftikhar has become a symbol of independence of judiciary and the legal fraternity stand by him," he emphasised.
In an interview central information secretary, Pakistan Muslim League (N) Ahsan Iqbal asked the government as to under which law it was restoring/re-appointing the deposed judges and taking oath from them. It may be added that PML (N) left the coalition government on last Monday as PPP had not reinstated all the deposed judges including CJ Iftikhar under an agreement between the two mainstream parties.
It may be recalled that ten judges of the Lahore High Court had refused to take oath under Musharraf's PCO on 3rd November 2007. Out of these, one has retired, four have resumed their offices after taking a fresh oath while five deposed judges have refused to take a fresh oath. Meanwhile Minister for Law and Justice Farooque H. Naik has said that all the deposed judges of the High Courts and the Supreme Court, except Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry are welcome to take a fresh oath and resume their offices.
He said Justice Abdul Hameed Dogar is the constitutional Chief Justice of Pakistan and there could not be two Chief Justices of Pakistan. However some constitutional experts/lawyers have termed the fresh oath by the deposed judges as validating the unconstitutional steps of November 3, 2007.