July 19, 2008	Saturday	Rajab 15, 1429

LAHORE, July 18: Supreme Court Bar Association president Aitzaz Ahsan has said that lawyers will not accept reinstatement of the deposed judges on the basis of the PPP-sponsored constitutional package.

Addressing a press conference at the Lahore High Court Bar Association on Friday, he said by restoring the judges through the constitutional package, parliament would accept that Gen (retd) Pervez Musharraf was right in removing and detaining 60 judges and suspending and then amending the Constitution.

He said that in the Murree Declaration the PPP had pledged to restore “the deposed judges through a parliamentary resolution within 30 days of the formation of the federal government”.

Mr Ahsan said the PPP would not be able to reinstate the judges through the package because it did not have the support of two-thirds majority in the Senate.

Mr Ahsan said the PPP should fulfil the promise made by Benazir Bhutto.

He said that only 35 of the 700 members of the Karachi bar had attended the function where Justice Dogar was the chief guest while a large number of lawyers protested against him.

Mr Ahsan announced that July 20 (tomorrow) will be observed to mark the anniversary of reinstatement of Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhary by a 13-member bench of the Supreme Court last year.

He urged the lawyers to observe Nov 3 as a black day.

The SCBA president appealed to the people to welcome Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhary during his journey from Multan to Bahawalpur for addressing the bar on July 26.

He said the SCBA would suggest to the All Pakistan Lawyers Representatives Convention on Saturday to approve a two-hour sit-in once a week by every bar across the country.

Mr Ahsan said the lawyers depended neither on the Punjab government nor on the federal government for continuing their movement.