Musharraf spared and honoured despite crimes: Justice Sharif

[LRE]

Musharraf spared and honoured despite crimes: Justice Sharif



Thursday, November 06, 2008
By Our Correspondent

LAHORE

JUSTICE Khawaja Muhammad Sharif, the most senior deposed judge of the Lahore High Court, has said that General Pervez Musharraf (retd) committed was protected and honoured despite his crimes.

He was addressing the general house of the Lahore High Court Bar Association.

Lawyers observed November 5 as ‘Black Day’ to condemn maltreatment of lawyers on November 5, 2007 when police raided the LHCBA and arrested more than 400 lawyers. Police fired tear gas at lawyers and tortured them when they tried to hold a rally on The Mall to protest the imposition of emergency.

Justice Sharif said no foreign investor was ready to invest in Pakistan because no one felt secure in the absence of an independent judiciary.

He appealed to Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif to suspend police officials responsible for torturing lawyers on November 5 and initiate inquiry against them.

He said the PML-N got a mandate for the restoration of the deposed judges but absence of its workers in lawyers’ weekly rallies was deplorable. He requested the PML-N leadership to ensure that its workers attend lawyers’ rallies.

Justice Sharif praised lawyer Tehseen Irfan for confronting Malik Muhammad Qayyum. He said some deposed judges took fresh oaths at the insistence of their families but he would not betray lawyers by doing anything that could hurt their movement.

LHCBA President Anwar Kamal said locking of courts should be done on the call of the National Coordination Council (NCC), a committee to steer lawyers’ movement.

He said he honoured lawyers’ wish to expedite their movement but bars should not act independently. He said lawyers should lock courts on the call of the NCC.

Anwar congratulated the newly-elected US President, Barak Obama, on his victory and hoped that he would review US policies on Pakistan.

Rana Asadullah Khan strongly condemned torture of lawyers on November 5, 2007, and hoped that the government would withdraw all cases registered against lawyers. He said it was shameful that the government arrested those fighting for the rule of law under anti-terrorism charges.

Pakistan Bar Council member Hafiz Abdul Rehman Ansari defended lawyers who locked courtrooms. He said if the Lahore High Court chief justice took action against lawyers then courts across the country would be locked.

Former LHCBA president Firdous Butt, Allah Bakhsh Gondal, Abdul Rasheed Qureshi, Malik Hamid Sarfraz, Azhar Hameed and Manzoor Gillani also spoke on the occasion.

http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=145143