PBC to continue boycott of PCO judges

The Pakistan Bar Council on Wednesday reiterated its resolve to continue a complete boycott of the PCO judges in the Supreme Court and the High Courts till the restoration of the deposed judges. It also announced holding of protest rallies across the country every Thursday within and outside the bar and court premises. The council unanimously decided that the legal fraternity would remain steadfast in its struggle against emergency and the PCO and sacking of the superior court judges. The decision was taken unanimously during a meeting of the Lahore High Court Bar Association, Lahore, which was presided over by Mirza Aziz Akbar Baig, vice-chairman, Pakistan Bar Council. Office-bearers of the Supreme Court Bar Association and representatives of the provincial bar councils and presidents of the high court bar associations from across the country attended the meeting. The meeting reviewed the current situation in the aftermath of the imposition of emergency and the PCO and evolved the future course of strategy regarding the lawyers' ongoing movement/protest. It was unanimously decided that the lawyers would continue complete boycott of the PCO judges in the Supreme Court and the high courts and would observe one-hour strike in the subordinate courts everyday. The meeting resolved that from now onward, the lawyers would also observe complete strike and boycott of subordinate courts every Thursday when they would also hold protest meetings and take out rallies/processions within and/or outside the bar and court premises. The meeting appealed to all the political parties, human rights organisations, professional bodies, members of the civil society and student organisations to organise rallies and processions every Thursday to protest against emergency and the PCO and to demand immediate restoration of the chief justice of Pakistan and the judges of the superior courts who had refused to take oath under the PCO. The meeting condemned the sealing and locking of the office of the Supreme Court Bar Association in the Supreme Court Registry building, Lahore, by the administration of the Supreme Court and warned that such measures would not deter lawyers from their struggle for the rule of law, the supremacy of the Constitution and restoration of the judiciary as it existed before November 3, 2007. The administration of the Supreme Court was, therefore, called upon to unlock the office of the SCBA forthwith, giving free access to office-bearers of the SCBA and advocates to the premises. The participants of the meeting condemned the government for retiring all those judges of the Supreme Court and high courts who had refused to take oath under the PCO, as well as their eviction from their official residences. They termed the the government action without any lawful authority. The meeting condemned the extension in the period of detention of Aitzaz Ahsan, President, Supreme Court Bar Association, Justice (retd) Tariq Mahmood, former president, Supreme Court Bar Association, Hadi Shakil Ahmed, President, High Court Bar Association, Quetta, Baz Muhammad Kakar, President, Balochistan Bar Association, Quetta, and imprisonment of Ali Ahmed Kurd, member, Pakistan Bar Council, and its former vice-chairman and demanded their immediate release. The meeting was attended by Qazi Muhammad Anwar, chairman, executive committee, besides members of the Pakistan Bar Council including Safirullah Khan, Ch. Muhammad Ashraf Wahlah, Sardar Muhammad Latif Khan Khosa and Muhammad Ahsan Bhoon, President, Lahore High Court Bar Association. Other members of the PBC who attended the meeting included Syed Qalb-i-Hassan, Muhammad Ramzan Chaudhry, Hamid Khan, Muhammad Kazim Khan, Asrar-ul-Haq Mian, Rasheed A. Razvi, President, Sindh High Court Bar Association, Karachi.