LAHORE, Jan 24: Lawyers finally succeeded in wooing at least three political parties — whose workers rallied with them on The Mall on Thursday — in their effort to broaden the horizon of the campaign for the restoration of the pre-Nov 3 judiciary.

The workers of the Jamaat-i-Islami, the Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaaf and the Pakistan Khaksar Tehrik gathered in front of Aiwan-i-Adl from where they joined lawyers marching on towards the Punjab Assembly building at Faisal Chowk.

The rallies taken out on every Thursday have been the hallmark of the lawyers struggle for the establishment of the rule of law, supremacy of the Constitution and independence of the judiciary which erupted after March 9, 2007, when a presidential reference was filed against Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry. The lawyers again revived the Thursdays rallies during the second phase of their struggle surfaced after Nov 3, 2007, when the chief of army staff sacked around 50 judges of superior courts, including the chief justice of Pakistan and chief justices of Sindh and Peshawar High Courts, after promulgating a Provisional Constitution Order (PCO).

Representatives of the Concerned Citizens of Pakistan (CCP), former Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) president Yasmin Rashid, Joint Action Committee representative Shahtaj Qizilbash and Bushra Aitzaz, the spouse of detained Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) President Aitzaz Ahsan, also joined the lawyers.

Members of the Lahore High Court Bar Association (LHCBA) and Lahore Bar Association (LBA) held their general house meetings at their respective buildings and took out rallies while chanting slogans against the government and in favour of the deposed judges and their detained leaders - Barrister Aitzaz Ahsan, Munir A Malik, Justice Tariq Mahmood (retired) and Ali Ahmed Kurd.

PTI, JI and TK supporters were holding their party flags while other were holding placards and banners inscribed with their demands of restoration of superior courts judges, who did not take oath under the Nov 3 edition of the PCO, and removal of the incumbent government. PTI Punjab president Ahsen Rasheed was leading his party protesters while Dr Yasmin Rashid and Dr Zahid Muhiuddin were leading civil society and PMA activists.

After their general house meeting, LHCBA members led by bar president Ahsan Bhoon joined the LBA rally at GPO Chowk on The Mall, which was earlier taken out from Aiwan-i-Adal in the leadership of its president Manzoor Qadir.

The lawyers then held a joint march towards Punjab Assembly building. After a brief stay at Faisal Chowk, where some bar leaders highlighted their demands, the protesters returned to their respective bars and dispersed peacefully.

Talking to Dawn, Bushra Aitzaz agreed that the political parties, still inclined to contest the elections, were casting a negative impact on their movement for the restoration of the pre-PCO judiciary. She said even if they were to go to the polls, they could still come and participate with the lawyers, who wanted an independent judiciary for the sake of establishment of rule of law and supremacy of the Constitution.

Earlier, addressing the LHCBA general house meeting, speakers stressed ensuring the boycott at the Lahore High Court according to the call of the Pakistan Bar Council.

Advocate Ahsan Wyne appealed to politicians to join the lawyers’ movement for achieving independence of the judiciary. He condemned the politicians, saying the people were finding it hard to make both ends meet but they were running for their rule. He said lawyers’ movement would continue oblivious to the distance of its goals.

LHCBA former president Ahmed Awais said the judges, who took oath under the Nov 3 version of the PCO, which according to him was totally illegal and supra Constitutional, were mere “jobseekers” and no more legitimate judges. The lawyers would not recognise them as judges, he said adding, “They have committed treason by betraying the country and its Constitution.” He urged the LHCBA representatives to take necessary steps to stop these ‘PCO-judges’ from dismissing their petitions for non-prosecution because of their strike. He also urged the lawyers to ensure complete boycott by not appearing before courts.