By IANS
Islamabad : Pakistani lawyers will launch a countrywide agitation from Thursday in an effort to block President Pervez Musharraf’s re-election bid and to “close the doors on military rule in the country once and for all”.
A meeting of the National Action Committee of Lawyers here Sunday made a fervent plea for restoring democracy in the country, saying they did not want another army general to replace Musharraf.
Supreme Court Bar Association president Munir A. Malik, Pakistan Bar Council vice president Mirza Aziz Baig, and the presidents of district bar associations from all over the country attended the meeting.
Malik told reporters after the meeting that the day on which Musharraf filed his nomination papers would be observed as a ‘black day’ and a demonstration would be held in front of the Election Commission office.
A ‘black day’ would also be observed when Musharraf’s nomination papers would be scrutinised, they said.
The committee also urged all political parties, including the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Qaid (PML-Q), to ensure their legislators in the national and provincial assemblies resigned before Sep 15 to frustrate Musharraf’s re-election bid, Dawn reported Monday.
According to Baig, Musharraf was not eligible to contest the presidential election either in uniform or without it.
“We do not accept any formula for power-sharing between the military and the political forces,” he maintained.
Baig said political parties and civil society should play their role in the struggle against Musharraf.
“We neither want any ministerial slot nor do we want seats in parliament. Our struggle is for strengthening the country’s defence, ensure rule of the law and supremacy of the Constitution. Our struggle is for people’s rights,” he added.
Pakistani lawyers have been on the warpath with the government ever since Musharraf earlier this year sacked Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry on corruption charges. Rallies and demonstrations in Chaudhry’s support were held in all major cities of the country to protest the move.
Chaudhry struck back with a vengeance and fought a prolonged legal battle in the Supreme Court, which ordered his reinstatement.