Lawyers to join protest rally: Farah Dogar case

RAWALPINDI, Jan 17: Lawyers here have decided to participate in January 22 protest demonstration organized by the chairman of Parliamentary Committee on Education Abid Sher Ali in front of Parliament House against, what he said, the governmentÂ’s biased attitude in Farah Dogar case.

This was stated by Secretary General High Court Bar Association (HCBA) Malik Siddiqe Awan while talking to Dawn on Saturday. He said since Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz workers supported the lawyers struggle for independence of judiciary, therefore, the lawyers of the division had decided to take part in the protest rally called by the PML-N MNA.

He said the lawyers have elected pro-movement representatives they would accelerate their campaign for the restoration of deposed judges and were determined to bring the movement to its logical end sooner than later.

He said the bar had called a meeting of representatives of all bars in Rawalpindi division at the HCBA premises on January 19 to chalk out their plan for the proposed long march of the legal fraternity on March 9 and sit in in front of the Supreme Court.

The elected members of 20 bar associations of the division including SC bar will participate in the meeting on Monday to deliberate upon the suggestions and finalise plan for the long march.

Anwar Dar a member of HCBA executive body said the long march on March 9 would be more useful and productive as compared to the one launched in June last year. He said the lawyers this time are serious about staging sit in till acceptance of their demands.

He said they would not let anybody to hijack their march this time and would devise a clear line of action regarding sit in.

Meanwhile, the lawyers in big number saw the deposed chief justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry off at Benazir Bhutto International Airport in the morning.

The lawyers gathered outside the departure lounge and chanted slogans against President Zardari and for the restoration of the deposed judges.
Source: Dawn
Date:1/18/2009