By Muhammad Najeeb, IANS
Islamabad : Spurred by their successful campaign to get the Chief Justice back to his office, Pakistani lawyers Thursday launched a countrywide agitation to restore democracy and oust President Pervez Musharraf.
“Our struggle is for peoples’ rights – we want pure civilian rule in the country. It’s not against the army, it’s not against any one person but against the military’s political role. We want a complete and independent civilian set up in the country,” chief of the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) Munir A. Malik told IANS.
Wearing black armbands, the lawyers observed a brief boycott of court proceedings over Musharraf’s plans to get himself re-elected for five more years. They gathered outside the Supreme Court building, sandwiched between the Prime Minister’s Secretariat and the Parliament, and chanted their stock slogan “Go Musharraf, Go”.
The lawyers had earlier proved their strength by holding a successful series of rallies for the reinstatement of suspended Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry, who had been suspended by President Musharraf and his case referred to the Supreme Judicial Council. However, the lawyers led by Malik launched a public campaign and filed a counter case in the Supreme Court for restoration of the Chief Justice, which they won.
Demonstrations were held Thursday in several cities and towns across the country. The lawyers’ action comes as Musharraf fights for his political survival amid a possible deal with former prime minister Benazir Bhutto’s Pakistan Peoples Party.
While a deal with Bhutto is opposed by many members of her liberal Pakistan People’s Party, the former prime minister says it would be a step towards restoration of civilian democracy as the president would be required under its terms to step down as army chief.
The lawyers’ agitation to oust Musharraf comes on a day the Supreme Court was told that his term as president would expire on Nov 15 and that he would remain in uniform till a new army chief was appointed to replace him.
Syed Sharifuddin Pirzada, Counsel for President Musharraf, provided this information in a written statement to the apex court a day after he was asked when the president’s term would expire.
The lawyers reject all deal talks and are calling for a broad political movement to drive Musharraf from power whether he retains his military status or not.
“We have urged political parties to ensure that their members resign from parliament before Sep 15 to block the presidential elections, and to join us in our movement for the revival of democracy,” Malik said.
Musharraf faces a threat from extremists following the raid he ordered in July on a mosque in the heart of Islamabad in which more than 250 people were killed. The students of the religious school adjacent to the Lal Masjid were demanding implementation of Islamic laws in the country.
On Tuesday, suspected insurgents from the tribal areas bordering Afghanistan targeted military intelligence officials close to the president’s army residence, killing 30 people and injuring more than 60.
The military ruler’s authority had been largely unchallenged till March when he tried to remove Chief Justice Chaudhry over his “misconduct”.
The step, widely seen as an attempt to neutralise a possible threat to his re-election plans by the independent-minded judge, triggered a national resistance movement by lawyers, opposition forces and rights groups.
The challenges to President Musharraf grew when the reinstated chief justice said last month that former prime minister and opposition leader Nawaz Sharif could return home from exile.
Sharif plans to arrive on Sep 10 and has pledged to lead the opposition to Musharraf’s bid to secure another term from national and provincial assemblies between Sep 15 and Oct 15.
Musharraf seized power by overthrowing the elected government of Nawaz Sharif in October 1999.