Pakistan Views

PPP leader Aitzaz Ahsan has said that restoration of judiciary will not be acceptable without Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry.Talking to newsmen here on Saturday, he said all judges will be restored in accordance with the Murree Declaration.He said the amendments in the constitution would be tantamount to accept the unconstitutional actions of November 3rd of the President.Aitzaz said he will inform the nation about the decisions of Committee formed for the restoration of judiciary within two or three days.He said the dictator has no right to amend the constitution, suspend it or arrest the judges.Aitzaz said if the unconstitutional action of a dictator is accepted then the Parliamentarians will also be arrested along with judges.

President Supreme Court Bar Association Aitzaz Ahsan on Wednesday said lawyers do not want to put pressure on the parliament for the restoration of the judges and hope that the leaders will honour their commitments.Talking to media outside residence of deposed chief justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, Aitzaz said that we have options of long march and launching movement for the restoration of judges but we want to see a strong parliament.But he added that lawyers have concerns that the presidency is hatching conspiracies and government legal expert Sharifuddin Pirzada has come up with new statement to subvert the Bhurban declaration.”The parliament must be aware of such conspiracies”. To a question about meeting with the visiting U.S officials, he said “We are going to meet them in the hope that our point of view will be taken into consideration. There would be discussion on the issue which is different than the view of the presidency.”"We have more hopes than the apprehensions.”He said that lawyers’ campaign will continue unless the judiciary is restored.Aitzaz Ahsan reiterated that movement would be launched if the deposed judges were not restored within thirty days of the new government.”If any conspiracy was hatched to undo the Murree Declaration seeking restoration of deposed chief justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry and 60 other SC judges, then call will be given for a full-fledged movement to realize the goal.” However, the SCBA President made it clear that he did not want any confrontation with the new government or the parliament, rather, he stated, he wanted to see the new parliament powerful and strong.The option of the movement will be implemented only after non-implementation of the Murree Declaration, he clarified.”We do not want to indulge in any adventurism on the roads,” he pointed out.Aitzaz blamed that the presidency was busy in conspiracy to undo any attempt to restore the deposed judges. He further said that the option of his “Long March” was open which will be given practical shape in case SC judges were not restored.President Musharraf imposed emergency on November 03 last year and sent CJ SC and other 60 SC judges home and kept them under house arrest illegally for long five months.They were released on Monday after the newly elected Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani passed his first order in the National Assembly to release them forthwith.Munir Malik on the occasion said that the deposed CJ wishes to thank the civil society and the lawyers for their support. He said the deposed Chief Justice will renew bonds with the lawyers to address the bars on constitutional issues.He also informed the media that the deposed chief justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry will address lawyers in Quetta on March 31st to mark the beginning of new campaign for the supremacy of the judiciary.Aitzaz Ahsan said that the deposed CJ will be visiting Quetta for the first time in a year and that he will also be his first visit after four-and-half month’s illegal detention.The deposed chief justice will address the Balochistan High Court Bar Association soon after his arrival in the city.The Chief justice will also be visiting Sukkur Bar Association others and a schedule will be announced later.

President Pakistan Supreme Court Bar Association Chaudhry Aitzaz Ahsan has said that the rightful justices will decide fate of present justices after reinstatement. He stated this while addressing a press conference at the road as he and other lawyers were prevented from entering to the Supreme Court Building. The gates of the Supreme Court Building were locked to prevent Supreme Court Bar Association leaders from entering into the Supreme Court Building.
The administration had locked the gates of the Supreme Court Building because the Supreme Court Bar Association was to hold a meeting inside the building today (Saturday).
However, preparations are underway to observe the black day and black flags are being hurled at the buildings in various parts of Islamabad and Rawalpindi.
Meanwhile, addressing a gathering of traders here he said that the main objective of lawyers’ movement was restoration of judiciary.

President Pakistan Supreme Court Bar Association Chaudhry Aitzaz Ahsan and other lawyers were prevented from entering to the Supreme Court Building.
The gates of the Supreme Court Building were locked to prevent Supreme Court Bar Association leaders from entering into the Supreme Court Building.
The administration had locked the gates of the Supreme Court Building because the Supreme Court Bar Association was to hold a meeting inside the building today (Saturday).
However, preparations are underway to observe the black day and black flags are being hurled at the buildings in various parts of Islamabad and Rawalpindi.

Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) president, Aitzaz Ahsan has said that the lawyers would not give long time to the new parliament for the reinstatement of deposed judges.
Talking to newsmen on his arrival from Sukkur here, Aitzaz Ahsan said that the parliament could not stand for long on the debris of the judiciary and added that the lawyers’ long march has not be cancelled, but postponed for some time. He said that a black flag week slated March 9-16 would be observed, when black flags would be hoisted on the Bar Rooms and the women lawyers would be wearing black ‘dopatta’. He said that he has come to Karachi for making the lawyers’ movement more effective.
Sources said that SCBA president would also be meeting the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Co-Chairman, Asif Ali Zardari. However, no PPP leader was present on the occasion of his arrival at the airport. The legal community, civil society and political activists welcomed Aitzaz on his arrival in tightened security at the airport.

Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) president, Chaudhry Aitzaz Ahsan said that his not being able to pay respect to Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto by appearing at her last abode was like a mountain of shock in his heart, which he felt greatly relieved of by offering ‘Fateha’ at the tomb, following his arrival here today after his release from the confinement.
Accompanied by lawyers and members of the civil society, Aitzaz Ahsan offered ‘Fateha’ at the tomb with tears rolling from his eyes, as he appeared completely overwhelmed by the sentiments.Talking to the media, Aitaz Ahsan said that although he has unloaded the burden of the mountain like shocks for not appearing at the tomb of Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto, but he was carrying a crucifix on his shoulders, which was a symbol of responsibility—a responsibility to serve the poor people and providing justice to the hapless. He said that there could be no democracy without justice and the country could not prosper. He also thanked the media, the people and the lawyers on this occasion and prayed for their solidarity forever.

Punjab government has released the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) president Aitzaz Ahsan, the sources told
Punjab Home Department has withdrawn police deployed at the residence of Aitzaz Ahsan, the sources added.
Earlier, Punjab Home Secretary, Khusro Pervaiz said that the government of Punjab has decided to release Aitzaz Ahsan, following the completion of the first phase of transfer of power with the final results of elections now announced.
Aitzaz Ahsan could be set free any time, as the security cordon around his residence being withdrawn, he added.

The detained president of Supreme Court Bar Association Aitzaz Ahsan has urged political parties to sit together to chalk out modalities for restoration of the deposed judges and ensure freedom of judiciary.
Addressing members Lahore High Court Bar Association (LHCBA) and other lawyers at LHC, where he was brought to cats his vote in the annual election of LHCBA in police custody, Aitzaz opined that the deposed judges could be restored through an executive order. He expressed his optimism that all the political parties, which were voted to parliament, would sit together to get this prime task completed. He said the judge could be restored through an executive order. He said that people in general and lawyers in particular had voted for the parties in general election, who promised to restore the deposed judges.
He warned all the elected representatives not to indemnify the steps of Pervez Musharraf otherwise lawyers would be there to launch drive against them. He reiterated his resolve to launch long-march if the judges were not restored till March 9.
When the detained SCBA president arrived at LHC escorted by police, the lawyers accorded him warm welcome. Aitzaz was allowed by the home department to cast his vote in the annual election of LHCBA, which held here on Saturday.

Police stopped British High Commissioner Robert Brinkley from meeting on Thursday a detained lawyer Aitzaz Ahsan, who spearheaded opposition to President Pervez Musharraf, the British High Commission said.

Aitzaz Ahsan, a former member of the National Assembly for the party of martyred opposition leader Benazir Bhutto, was detained after President Musharraf imposed emergency rule on Nov. 3.

He is being held under house arrest at his home in Lahore.

The British envoy went to Ahsan’s home but police posted there did not allow him in to see the lawyer. Police did not give a reason, a British High Commission spokesman said.

“We just wanted to underline the fact that we’re still calling for the release of all those detained under the state of emergency,” the spokesman said.

Brinkley was allowed to meet Ahsan’s wife and some other family members, the spokesman said.

President Musharraf cited rising militancy and a meddling judiciary when he invoked emergency powers and purged judges seen as hostile to his bid to secure another term as president.

Last month, police stopped US ambassador Anne Patterson from meeting Ahsan. He was briefly released last month for a Muslim holiday (Eid) but was soon detained again.

Police on Thursday temporarily released from detention a prominent opposition lawyer Aitzaz Ahsan, who this year spearheaded a campaign against President Pervez Musharraf, the lawyer’s son said.

Aitzaz Ahsan, a former member of the National Assembly for Pakistan People’s Party, was detained under emergency powers Musharraf invoked on Nov. 3.

“He’s been released for three days for the Eid holidays,” his son Ali Ahsan said, referring to the Muslim Eid al-Adha holiday that began from Thursday.

Ahsan rose to prominence this year when he acted as chief counsel for Iftikhar Chaudhry, the Supreme Court chief justice whom Musharraf tried to suspend in March.

Chaudhry and several other judges remain under house arrest at their official residences in Islamabad.

Chaudhry’s suspension whipped up a campaign against Musharraf by lawyers and opposition activists.

Chaudhry and other judges seen as hostile to Musharraf’s October re-election by legislators while still army chief were purged after Musharraf declared the emergency.

Ahsan was not immediately available for comment but he told private news channel he and other lawyers wanted to see dismissed judges reinstated.

“We are united, we are determined, our objective is very clear and this objective is restoration of those specific, particular judges of superior courts, the high court and supreme court judges, who were judges on Nov. 2,” he said.

“We want full restoration of (the) constitution as it was on Nov. 2.”

When President Musharraf lifted the emergency last weekend he introduced amendments giving legal protection to his actions during the emergency including the appointment of new judges.

Ahsan, a former cabinet minister, was held at Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi for nearly three weeks before being transferred to house arrest in of Lahore.