Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) on Friday restored the Central Executive Committee's (CEC) membership of veteran party leader Barrister Aitzaz Ahsan after nine month of suspension. In a brief statement, PPP Secretary General Jahangir Badar informed the media men that his membership was restored with the approval of the Co-Chairman Pakistan Peoples Party President Asif Ali Zardari.
Jehangir Badar said that Aitzaz inclusion in the CEC was widely welcomed by party members. Aitzaz membership was suspended last February due to his differences with party for not restoring over sixty sacked judges including Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry, dismissed by former president Pervez Musharraf on November 3, 2008.
Aitzaz Ahsan led the country-wide lawyers' movement from the day one soon after Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohamamd Chaudhry was sacked by the then President Pervez Musharraf on March 7, 2007. He continued his efforts for the restoration of the sacked judges after his party came into power and nothing could hamper his resolve for realising his cherish dream.
He had sacrificed his party CEC membership for not restoring the judges to the pre-November 3, 2008 position. The party leadership tried time and again to convince him to shun his critical approach towards the party's polices but in vain, resultantly his CEC membership was suspended by the PPP high command with the justification that he violated party's discipline.
Aitzaz held separate meetings with President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani on their desire last month that paved way for the restoration of his CEC membership. When this scribe tried to contact him for comments on the issue, he did not attend the cell phone despite repeated attempts.