By Muhammad Najeeb
Islamabad, Sep 28 (IANS) Lawyers and the opposition in Pakistan have rejected the Supreme Court decision Friday that allows President Pervez Musharraf to contest presidential election next month for another term while holding two posts.
Hundreds of political activists present outside the court chanted slogans against Musharraf and the Supreme Court. “Go Musharraf Go”, “We want independent courts,” the protesters shouted.
“This is highly disappointing and we reject this decision…We will challenge this decision and demand for a full court (hearing of the petition),” Jamaat-e-Islami deputy chief and MP Khurshid Ahmed told journalists after the decision.
A nine-member bench of the apex court headed by Justice Rana Bhagwandas dismissed all petitions filed against Musharraf’s candidature and his simultaneously holding two offices of the president and the army chief.
Ahmed said that they would continue their struggle against military dictatorship shoulder-to-shoulder with lawyers. He added that they and other opposition parties would soon resign from the assemblies.
“Now our struggle will move to the streets from the courts,” Supreme Court Bar Association President Munir A. Malik told reporters. He said he was highly disappointed by the decision but “I am confident that we will take this fight to streets”.
Malik said that lawyers from across the country would assemble in Islamabad in front of the Election Commission (EC) building Saturday when the poll agency is scheduled to scrutinise nomination papers of the presidential candidates that include President Musharraf, PPP leader Makhdoom Amin Fahim and former Supreme Court judge Wajihuddin Ahmed, besides scores of others.
Acting president of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Makhdoom Javed Hashmi said the opposition parties would now go for other options like resigning from the assemblies and starting an agitation against the military dictatorship.
“The Supreme Court has highly disappointed the people of Pakistan…one was not expecting this sort of decision,” he said, adding: “Our real fight is against the military dictatorship”.
Tariq Mahmood, another leading lawyer, said they would challenge Musharraf’s candidature in the Election Commission. “We will challenge his nomination in the EC and if his nomination is accepted, we will challenge it in the court,” Mahmood said.