By IANS
New Delhi : A group of Indian lawyers Thursday marched to the Pakistan High Commission here condemning the arrests of judges and advocates in that country following imposition of emergency.
The lawyers, under the banner of the Delhi Bar Council, walked from near the Chanakyapuri police station in the diplomatic enclave in the heart of the city to the Pakistani mission holding placards and banners and shouting slogans against President Pervez Musharraf.
Leading the protestors were advocates K.K. Manan and Pinky Anand, who submitted “a memorandum of protest” to the Pakistan High Commissioner, accusing Mushharraf of staging “a second coup and continuing with a reign of terror and despotism”.
Musharraf’s emergency rule announced Nov 3 has led to the jailing of hundreds of opposition activists, lawyers and rights advocates. Several judges are also facing house arrest.
Anand, who is also the national convener of the legal cell of the Bharatiya Janata Party, demanded immediate release of the jailed lawyers and judges.
“The lawyers are basically free-thinking people and harbingers of hopes of a free society in any country,” Anand told IANS.
She added: “Our protest is to show solidarity with the lawyers and judges. Any society with curtailed freedom is a bad omen for the free world, and it needs to be opposed tooth and nail.”
Condemning “the criminal, unconstitutional and brutal treatment meted out to lawyers in Pakistan”, the memorandum said: “We believe Pakistan is not in a state of emergency but under the rule of martial law.
“This is confirmed by the fact that the Provisional Constitutional Order was signed by Musharraf in the capacity as the Army chief and not as the president.
“Musharraf is continuing a reign of terror and despotism and abusing the process of law with the sole view of perpetuating his unjust rule.
“The provision of emergency can be invoked only under the constitution, but if the constitution itself has been put in abeyance, Pakistan is under martial law, Musharraf’s second coup,” the memorandum added.