Aitzaz flays govt's failure in arresting BB's killers

LAHORE - It is painful that the PPP is ruling but murderers of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto were still at large, said Barrister Aitzaz Ahsan, former president Supreme Court Bar Association and CEC member of the PPP, while addressing a Press conference here Thursday. Aitzaz, who convened the media to brief them on the Bar Associations medical assistance to the flood victims with the help of Pakistan Medical Association, said it was sorry state of affairs that the PPP was in power but the killers of Benazir Bhutto have yet not been arrested. It is painful, he added. Aitzaz highlighting the sufferings of the flood victims underlined the need of unity for their rehabilitation. He said after floodwater had receded, the flood of diseases was on the anvil. Therefore the 'black coats (lawyers) have worked out a programme with the 'white coats (doctors) to provide medical aid to the flood affectees. He named 12 bar associations in the affected areas which, on his call, had agreed to provide space for medical camps, medicines, lodging and other facilities to the doctors to serve the flood victims, who, he added, were now exposed to seven serious epidemics. He said such medical camps were already set up in Thatta while process had been started to establish others in the affected districts of Punjab and Sindh. Aitzaz said lawyers always withstood the challenges and brought about democracy in the country besides restoring an independent judiciary. With the same spirit, he said, the legal fraternity throughout the country would rise to help the food victims. To a question on the flood raising campaign of former military ruler, Pervez Musha-rraf and his return to the country, he said there was a time we felt fury on Musharrafs acts but now the case was different as we laugh at his acts and statements. He found many hilarious points in Musharraf fund raising campaign and asked him to come back if he had the mettle. When asked about special branch report on assassination plot of Lahore High Court Chief Justice allegedly prepared by certain federal elements, he said the matter was under probe, so wait for the findings. To a question regarding difference between present set up and the previous government, Aitzaz said democracy was the major difference, and independent judiciary giving fair decisions on corruption and human rights cases, while a lot of improvement had come about in the lower judiciary by virtue of National Judicial Policy. As a whole, he said, things were getting better and the country was on the way to improvement. He ruled out change of any national government. To a question that why was the government not implementing Supreme Court decisions in letter and spirit, he said, if judiciary wants, letter and spirit implementation of the decisions is possible.

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