By IRNA
Islamabad : Deposed Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar uhammad Chaudhary on Thursday urged the newly elected members of parliament not to approve ‘unconstitutional actions’ of President Pervez Musharraf.
Mr Chaudhary spoke to lawyers in Karachi by telephone from his residence in Islamabad where he has been under house arrest since November 3, when President Musharraf proclaimed emergency and sacked him.
Around 60 other senior judges were also removed after they refused to show allegiance to President Musharraf.
The President in remarks published on Thursday said restoration of former judges is impossible.
“If the parliamentarians disapprove actions of an individual then no one will put pressure on judges. But if they did not do it then a police officer will also exert pressure on judges for verdicts of his own choice. No one will be secure in such situation,” ftikhar Chaudhary said.
He said the previous parliament had set a negative precedent to delegate powers to an individual (Musharraf), which, was in no way, a suitable act.
“If the newly elected parliament continued the practice, then every person, if he is a police officer or any other person, could influence courts verdicts.”
The deposed Chief Justice said that no institution would remain independent and sovereign if an individual is given powers to amend the constitution. This will also render the parliament worthless.
Chaudhary Iftikhar said that judges, who have taken oath under the Provisional Constitutional Order, have been made judges through an executive order, adding that compulsory retired judges could also be restored through such an order.
“There is no need of two-third majority in parliament to restore judges,” he argued.
He described as unconstitutional all actions taken on November 3rd and paid tributes to the members of civil society and lawyers. “The struggle will now yield results,” he said.
Earlier the lawyers boycotted courts as part of their protest campaign for the restoration and release of judges as well as lawyers.
Police fired tear gas shells and used batons to disperse protesting lawyers when they took out procession.
The police tried to stop the procession but when they refused they beat them, injuring some of them. The police also arrested 10 lawyers.