FOB (Friends of Bush): Pakistan still in turmoil as lawyers fight for rule of law

Complete boycott of courts continues, 7000 lawyers stay away from court

Pakistan Saturday lifted [some*] restrictions on the movement of suspended Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry, in compliance on the directives of the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC), even as clashes were reported between police and protesting lawyers, political workers and media persons in several cities. (*added by Pak Law blog)

One of Chaudhry’s lawyers, Tariq Mehmud, announced that the directives of the SJC, an institution to carry out accountability of the judges, was being implemented.

In Lahore, police fired teargas shells and resorted to baton charge on lawyers who continued their street protest against the suspension of the chief justice.

All courts in Lahore, Karachi and other major cities were boycotted by the lawyers who remained on the streets shouting anti-government slogans.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz Saturday visited the office of private Geo News, a day after police ransacked its newsroom. The government had banned one of the channel’s programmes critical of the handling of the judiciary crisis. The prime minister reviewed the losses caused to the premises due to the police attack.

Aziz said that investigations into the attack were underway and those responsible would be punished. He also spoke to the Geo News staff.

Information Minister Muhammad Ali Durrani and Minister of State for Information Tarique Azeem accompanied the prime minister.

Political parties and media persons have joined hands with the protesting lawyers who have been for a week now agitating over the suspension of the chief justice

The Nation reported Saturday that even women and children have joined the protests. Asifa Naveed 34, a housewife participated in a rally with her three children, Muhammad Fateh Khan, 12, Muhammad Jamal Naveed, eight, and daughter Bakhtawar, seven.

‘Aik zalzala Aath Aktubar ko aya tha aur aik zalzala Nau March ko aya’ (One earthquake was experienced on October 08 and another now on March 09), Asifa said, referring to the massive Oct 8, 2005, quake that led to thousands of deaths, especially in Pakistan-controlled Jammu and Kashmir.

The continuing protests, since the March 9 suspension, have brought the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), which had kept away initially, into the agitation.

Another party, Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), a major partner of the ruling coalition and supporter of President Pervez Musharraf on many issues, has also distanced itself from the presidential reference filed against Chaudhry before SJC, saying, ‘neither was the party taken into confidence nor consulted on the issue’.

The MQM broke its silence with a statement of its exiled London-based leader Altaf Hussain, who said his party had never been consulted before or after the filing of the reference.

However, he maintained that the issue of presidential reference was purely a legal and constitutional issue.

The protesting lawyers observed complete strike in Lahore High Court and lower courts and stayed away from court proceedings.

The lawyers boycotted court proceedings at Lahore High Court, district court, sessions court, on the call of various lawyers bodies and tied black armbands as a sign of protest.

Several persons were injured when police and lawyers hurled stones at each other in front of Lahore High Court resulting in head injuries to many.

According to reports, police locked the main gate of the high court after scuffles with the lawyers. Police have cordoned off the high court building and were continuing to baton charge the protesters.

The Karachi lawyers are to observe a token strike to protest against declaring the chief justice non-functional. The Karachi Bar Association has announced a complete strike in Karachi courts following the police attack on Geo News’ Islamabad office.

About 7,000 Karachi Bar members condemned the incident and stayed away from court proceedings.

Original article posted here.