Lawyers boycott courts

KARACHI - Justice Musheer Alam, the deposed judge of Sindh High Court, has expressed his grave concern over the re-appointment of the sacked judges and alleged that the government has adopted the illegal way in this regard. Addressing the lawyers meeting in Karachi Bar Association here on Thursday, he lauded the judges who refused to take oath under PCO saying they had taken the decision according to their conscience. Musheer Alam said that ongoing lawyers' movement was not aimed against an individual but it had been launched for the restoration of independent judiciary and the rule of law. He said that bloody incidents of May 12, 2007 and April 9th in Karachi would never be forgotten in which the lawyers as well as innocent people scarified their lives for the ongoing movement. He added that on the eve of both incidents, the judges of apex courts were the targets of armed people but lawyers laid down their lives to take them to safe place. The deposed justice criticised the government over the attempts for reappointing judges and said that it was not a legal way, adding if the government were honest, it could reinstate all deposed judges constitutionally. Earlier, Pakistan Muslim League leader Nehal Hashmi in his address said that his party has been associated with the lawyers' movement for restoration of judiciary and would continue its support for this noble cause. Earlier, the lawyers observed complete boycott of the court proceedings in City Court Karachi and District Court Malir on the call of Pakistan Bar Council for the restoration free judiciary and reinstatement of deposed judges. They staged protest rally while carrying placards, banners and chanted slogans against the government and for not fulfilling their demands.         The lawyers also set up a camp in front of the office of Karachi Bar Association and vowed to continue their struggle till success. They demanded immediate restoration of the pre-November-3 judiciary and reinstatement of deposed judges through an executive order. They said that lawyers' fraternity would never compromise on the movement launched for the independence of judiciary.  

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