Lawyers to give time to new parliament: Aitizaz
Bureau Report

LAHORE—President Supreme Court Bar Association Aitizaz Ahsan has said March. 9 Long March is being postponed for some days to give time to newly elected parliament and particularly the parties which are supporting the demand of reinstatement of deposed judges.
He said this in an interview with BBC here Wednesday. He indicated president Pervez Musharraf had detained deposed chief justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry on March, 9 for the first time. Therefore, we will observe protest on March, 9 across the country, he told.
Giving details of Long March program he said the March will take place in three phases. On the first leg of March, deposed judges of Sindh and Balochistan will reach Multan. The lawyers belonging to South Punjab will welcome them, he told. The judges will arrive in Lahore along with caravan of lawyers after one day stay in Multan.
Caravan of lawyers led by deposed chief justice of NWFP, justice Tariq Pervez will reach Islamabad. Lawyers from across the country will arrive in Islamabad, he informed.
There are no two opinions among the major political parties including PPP, PML-N and ANP on restoration of judges, he held. PPP was also of opinion an independent judiciary is must for the country, he added. Iftikhar Chaudhry is under house arrest since the last 4 months and his children even can not go to Lawn, he told. “I am surprised over what vibes are coming from US and UK to us”, he remarked.
Former President Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) Munir A Malik on Wednesday said that the any access to power (way to Islamabad) comes out from the heart of masses and not with blessings of GHQ, America or Britain.
While addressing the annual projection meeting of Lahore High Court Bar Association Rawalpindi Bench, he said that independent judiciary emerges due to development of civilized society but unfortunately GHQ had been interfering in the constitutional matters of the country.
He said that lawyers of Rawalpindi played leading role in the protest movement of lawyers for independence of judiciary and it reached at its peak when lawyers across the country gathered in front of Supreme Court on March 31, which was one of the important day of the movement.
He paid rich tribute to the courageous and brave leaders of lawyers’ fraternity including Aitizaz Ahsan, Ali Ahmed Kurd, Hamid Khan and Justice (Retd) Tariq Mehmood on behalf of lawyers’ fraternity of Rawalpindi. “Our prime objective is to reinstate sixty-two sacked judges including Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry and if any attempt or hurdle was created in the reinstatement of sacked judges, as it would be against the judiciary,” he warned.
He further said that main object of our protest movement is to reinstate judiciary on Pre-Nov 2nd position and resolved to enhance this mission adding that masses have been conscious and only justice of courts will be rule and justice of any landlord will not be acceptable for masses. He concluded that judges have realized that their independence is much important than their loyalty with government.