LAHORE, Dec 13: Over a thousand lawyers, most of them from the Lahore Bar Association, marched from Aiwan-i-Adl to the Punjab Assembly on Thursday demanding the restoration of the pre-emergency judiciary.

Charged and agitated rally of the lawyers, wherein no political party turned up, set on fire the posters and electioneering banners of Pakistan Muslim League-Q (PLM-Q) hanging with lampposts on The Mall from the Town Hall to Regal Chowk.

A police cordon outside the Town Hall did not react when lawyers charged towards it after coming out of the main gate of Aiwan-i-Adl.

Amid chants of “Musharraf go, dead is your show”, a lawyer, Muhammad Afaq, who was only in shorts and a T-shirt, said he had not put on his uniform in protest against the cancellation of the membership of the Punjab Bar Council vice chairman by Justice M Bilal Khan of the Lahore High Court (LHC).

Anti-Musharraf slogans escalated when the lawyers from the Lahore High Court Bar Association (LHCBA) joined their marching colleagues from Aiwan-i-Adl.

A group of lawyers shouted slogans at the LHC gate reserved for entrance of judges, against the LHC chief justice. The gate is close to the chamber of the chief justice as compared to the main gate of the LHC.

“We will not cease our struggle unless the judiciary gets pre-November 3 status,” said LBA President Syed Muhammad Shah, while addressing protestors through megaphone.

“Malik Qayyum,” Mr Shah shouted, “bring as many pseudo ordinances as you can but we don’t recognise these ordinances or the PCO-ed judiciary.”

Mr Shah said the election was “a process of selection”, adding that its boycott would expedite the restoration of the pre-emergency judiciary.

LHCBA President Ahsan Bhoon disagrees with the stance of the LBA president on boycott of elections and advocates forging unity among lawyers for the independence of the judiciary alone.

“I have stated it categorically that we don’t want any confrontation with political parties. It would be better if we take along the political parties,” says Bhoon, whose affiliation with the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) is not a secret.

Talking to Dawn, Mahboob Chaudhry said PPP Chairperson Benazir Bhutto had taken advantage of the March 9 movement.

“She is trying to trick lawyers by saying that she will try to restore the judiciary after getting elected,” he added.

The rally also exposed those parties that claim to siding with lawyers in their movement for the restoration of the pre-Nov 3 judiciary.

Addressing the LBA this week, Jamaat-i-Islami amir Qazi Husain Ahmad announced joining forces with lawyers across the country to campaign. The same did Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaaf Chief Imran Khan. But none of the workers or leaders from both parties was present at the rally.

Also missing from the scene was the members of civil society and students, who had rallied with lawyers on the Human Rights Day.

“We have to conserve our energies because we have got to take care of our studies and raise awareness among people too,” students’ representative Sundu Hurnain told Dawn.

She said the Students’ Action Committee focussed upon organising its own events against elections and the removal of post-Nov 3 judiciary.

Addressing the general house, the LBA president asked lawyers to withdraw their nomination papers or face revocation of their membership. He praised SCBA President Chaudhry Aitzaz Ahsan for withdrawing his nomination papers from the elections. He asked lawyers to rise above their political affiliations for the success of the movement.

The house passed a requisition that no lawyer would represent the policemen in courts who had tortured lawyers.

Addressing the LHCBA general house, Mr Bhoon demanded the release of all judges and lawyers forthwith. He thanked students and civil society members for participating in the lawyers’ movement and hoped they would continue expressing solidarity with lawyers for the sake of a free judiciary.