LAHORE - President Supreme Court Bar Association Aitzaz Ahsan has blamed the Bush government for blocking the restoration of judges who, according to him, were removed illegally and unconstitutionally through a PCO of army chief on November 3 last. American lawyers, academic institutions and the civil society members desire restoration of the (November 2) judiciary in Pakistan but the Bush administration was the stumbling block in the way, as whenever solution to the problem of judges restoration is in sight, US officials Negroponte or Richard Boucher rush here to block the process, Aitzaz told a Press conference here on Wednesday. To a question, he said Pervez Musharraf had committed a criminal act by removing and detaining the judges and their children on November 3 as such he was not expected to reinstate them. However, he added, Nawaz Sharif and Asif Ali Zardari, for being signatory to the Bhurban Declaration on judges restoration within 30 days, were responsible for neglecting the commitment at a time when the Parliament, which has to actually do the needful, is composed of their majority members. Answering a question on the late role of Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) in running the lawyers movement, Aitzaz looked askance at certain members of this body and smilingly said, the Council has received Rs 50 million grant from the government and went on to say, the 'PBC has previously been putting hurdles and it was doing the same,' obviously pointing to its role in the movement. He reiterated the commitment to continue the movement with more force and vigour in the future till the judges are reinstated. To a question on the invitation by People's Lawyers Forum to Chief Justice of Pakistan Abdul Hamid Dogar to its convention, Aitzaz urged the forum not to invite him pleading that, 'Mr Dogar' was apparently holding the CJP office when actually he was not a constitutional judge in the eyes of the lawyers after taking PCO oath on November 3 last. He asked the PPP lawyers to recall the November 9 statement of Shaheed Benazir Bhutto outside the residence of Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry that she and the nation considered Justice Chaudhry as Chief Justice of Pakistan and the PPP would again raise flag at his residence. He quoted Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani that two chief justices of Pakistan could not exist in the country. He asked the prime minister to appoint Justice Chaudhry the only CJP making the words of Shaheed Benazir Bhutto true. He said PPP leadership must frame its strategy regarding the judges keeping in view sentiments of Benazir Bhutto about them. When questioned that Adviser to PM on Interior Affairs Rahman Malik has asked the lawyers not to go for protest rallies on Thursday, Aitzaz said the equation was very simple. If the government restores the judges to their constitutional functions, the lawyers would abandon their protest drive. Otherwise, he said, the cause of judges restoration was endeared to lawyers more than their life for the reason, it was to establish independence of judiciary wherein lay survival of the country. 'Independent judges are those who have independent mind to administer justice and such ones are sitting out by virtue of Pervez Musharraf,' he added. According to him, his Bar plans to hold an international conference on the independence of judiciary in Islamabad from October 9 to October 12 wherein judges and lawyers' representatives from all over the world would take part. He said Chief Justice Ifikhar Muhammad Chaudhry would inaugurate the conference where no judge who took oath of PCO-2007 would be invited. He stated that the executive committee of his body would meet on July 17 next and would consider suggestions on expediting the movement. The suggestions, he said, would be placed before the All Pakistan Lawyers Representative Convention here on July 19 for the approval of lawyers from all over the country. He also condemned the killing of advocate Mustafa Qureshi in Quetta and said it was a bid to create chaos in the country.