Lawyers Boycott Courts in Pakistan
'Pakistan Times' Federal Bureau

ISLAMABAD: The Lawyers community Pakistan, on the call of Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA), Pakistan Bar Council and other organizations boycotted courts on Monday to protest presidential reference against Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry.

Reports say that the Supreme Court lawyers boycotted Court’s proceedings Monday and hearings of the cases scheduled for the day were postponed. Heavy contingents of police were deployed outside the apex court premises.

Lahore High Court Bar members also boycotted court proceedings and tied black armbands as a sign of protest.

Likewise, Karachi lawyers also continued boycott of the court proceedings. Karachi Bar Association, Sindh High Court Bar Association and Sindh Bar Council had decided to boycott courts in the province on Monday and tomorrow, Tuesday, March 13 and held a sit in at M.A. Jinnah Road.

The authorities have declared law enforcement agencies alert in view of the lawyers’ protest.

Punjab

Media reports say that the Lawyers community boycotted courts in Punjab on the call of professional bodies Monday to protest reference against Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry.

The lawyers boycotted court proceedings in all districts of Punjab, tied black armbands and hoisted black flags at bar rooms as a sign of protest.

Lawyers stayed away from court proceedings and held protest demonstrations in Sheikhurpura, Sahiwal, Sialkot, Daska, Gujranwala, Okara, Tobatek Singh, Kamaliya, Malikwal, Pak Pattan, Gojra and other districts.

Sindh

And in Karachi, hundreds of lawyers blocked M. A. Jinnah Road Monday on the call of Karachi Bar Association, Sindh Bar Council and Supreme Court Bar Association, to protest reference against Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry.

The procession leaders were demanding from officials to allow the protesters to march towards Sindh High Court or Karachi Press Club but the administration was reported to have asked them to stop at M.A. Jinnah Road.

NWFP

In Peshawar also, lawyers on the call of the Executive Committee of NWFP Bar Council Monday protested against declaring Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry non-functional.

The lawyers’ boycotted court proceedings and held a procession from Peshawar High Court and chanted slogans against the government. The protesters also demanded re-instatement of Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry.

The lawyers held protests in other cities of the province as well.

In-depth

Some reports say that baton-wielding riot police clashed with lawyers at some places during a nationwide day of protest Monday in Pakistan.

More than 20 people, including an opposition lawmaker, were injured in the turmoil in the eastern city of Lahore, says a news agency report.

Police moved in to break up the rally with truncheons and some 20 lawyers were wounded, including Senator Latif Khosa of the opposition Pakistan People's Party and his son, said local bar council president Mohammad Ahsan Dhoon.

Some policemen were also injured as protesters pelted them with stones, police and witnesses said.

The riot police, with helmets, padded protective gear and plastic shields, used their batons on some lawyers who were wearing smart black suits and white shirts.

In Karachi, Pakistan's largest city, some 500 lawyers wearing black armbands rallied outside the city courts. They blocked traffic before dispersing peacefully, witnesses said.

"It's a complete boycott of the superior and lower courts by all lawyers," Supreme Court Bar Association president Munir Malik was quoted by a foreign news agency as saying.

Normal Judicial Working

Meanwhile, another report says that all the Judges of Supreme Court of Pakistan available at Islamabad Monday conducted normal and routine business of the apex court.

According to the spokesman of the Supreme Court nine Judges also met the acting Chief Justice Mr. Justice Javed Iqbal and discussed with him matters relating to the Court.

Benches of the Supreme Court at other registries including Lahore and Karachi also had normal workings on Monday.

All the six benches comprising 16 judges of the Supreme Court at Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi attended the court proceedings and worked normally, said the Spokesman.

Judges who met the Acting Chief Justice were Justice Abdul Hameed Dogar, Justice Sardar Muhammad Raza Khan, Justice Khalil ur Rehman Ramday, Justice Muhammad Nawaz Abbasi, Justice Mian Shakir ullah Jan, Justice Nasirul Mulk, Justice Hamid Ali Mirza, Justice Raja Fayyaz Ahmed and Justice Syed Jamsahid Ali Shah.

Call by Info Minister

Minister for Information and Broadcasting Senator Muhammad Ali Durrani Monday urged the lawyers’ community to reject unlawful calls for boycott of courts which he said were part of political motives of some circles.

The lawyers’ community should reject the tiny groups which are exceeding the limits of laws and the constitution on the instigation of some ‘failed political elements’, he said.

The lawyers should turn down the boycott calls as any interference in the matters of the judiciary is unlawful, said the minister while talking to the media after the inaugural of a 3-day workshop here at COMSTECH headquarters.

Describing lawyers as the most responsible citizens, Senator Durrani said those irresponsible elements who were giving boycott calls on the instigation of some political elements would soon lose electoral support.

“The lawyers should work for upholding the supremacy of the law and it would be unfortunate if the lawyers themselves join the process of sabotaging the laws”, he said.

The nation hopes that the lawyers’ community would rise to the challenge and would thwart the boycott calls, he said and added that the opposition had developed a habit of giving calls of anti-government movement and staging sit-ins.

“Like the past failed anti-government movements and sit-ins by the opposition, these boycott calls would also fail and the lawyers would reject these calls,” he added.

“The opposition has faced embarrassment over the APC and now they would meet more humiliation by violating the law. The elements who are going beyond limits over the issue of the dysfunctional Chief Justice would earn historic disgrace’,” he said.

To a question regarding the all parties conference on the issue of dysfunctional Chief Justice, Senator Durrani said the political parties involved in the APC would become weaker and more vulnerable as they are interfering in the judicial matters. He said they would be further exposed before the people by summoning such APCs.

He said President Pervez Musharraf had taken a constitutional step by sending the matter of the CJ to the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) which was a constitutional responsibility.

Senator Durrani said those elements who were politicizing the issue wanted to gain political mileage.

Shujaat on Sindh CM

Meanwhile, a report from New York says that Pakistan Muslim League (PML) President, Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain has said that the Sindh chief minister never told him that the smaller provinces had complaints against the Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry.

Talking to the journalists in New York, Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain said that the Sindh chief minister never took him – as the President of PML – into confidence saying smaller provinces had any complaint against the Chief Justice.

He said that he was of view that smaller provinces had no complaint against (now) the non-functional Chief Justice.

Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain has been quoted by a news report as saying that he neither has any knowledge of the two PML leaders meeting Justice Iftikhar and advising him to resign nor he was one of those leaders.

When questioned, he told the media that if Iran were attacked, then holding elections in Pakistan would have no ground, as it would not be possible for the government to hold elections in such circumstances.●