PESHAWAR, March 9: Justice Tariq Pervez Khan, the deposed Peshawar High Court chief justice, announced on Sunday that after their restoration the judges of the high court would observe one-hour boycott with the lawyers on March 9 every year.

He proposed that just like Defence Day and other national days, March 9 should be observed as “bench-bar day” for commemorating the struggle and sacrifices rendered by the legal fraternity after the foundation stone of an independent judiciary and supremacy of the constitution was laid down by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry.

Justice Tariq Pervez and three other deposed judges of the high court -- Justice Shahejhan Khan Yousafzai, Justice Ijaz Afzal Khan and Justice Dost Muhammad Khan -- were addressing the provincial lawyers’ convention organised by the NWFP Bar Council here with the start of the “black flag week” on the call of the Supreme Court Bar Association president Aitzaz Ahsan.

In their speeches the four judges said that March 9, 2007 was a milestone in the chequered history of the country as on that day the Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry had stood for the supremacy of the constitution and had declined to bow before a dictator.

They said they were judges of the high court and an individual could not remove them through an unconstitutional order.

Justice Tariq Pervez read out a message of Justice Chaudhry for the lawyers of NWFP stating: “What I have done as an individual you people have done it collectively for the supremacy of law. I assure that your sincere efforts would bear fruit and I will be with you soon again.”

Justice Tariq said that the chief justice had called him two days back and asked him to deliver his message to the lawyers of NWFP in the convention. He quoted Justice Chaudhry as saying: “Tariq, please extend my salute and message to the lawyers of your province. They were and are in the frontline for the restoration and independence of judiciary.”

The convention was attended by lawyers from across the province. Black flags were hoisted in the premises of the high court, the venue of the convention, and posters carrying different messages were displayed in large number. The venue frequently reverberated with the slogans of “go Musharraf go” and “long live Iftikhar Chaudhry”.

Through unanimously adopted resolutions the convention demanded that the pre-Nov 3 judiciary should be forthwith restored; all the judges and their families should be set free; restrictions on media should be lifted and Pemra Ordinance should be abolished, all missing persons should be released and Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan should be set at liberty.

The convention decided to observe boycott of all the courts till March 13. The convention also condemned the publication of blasphemous caricatures in Denmark and called upon the government to sever diplomatic ties with Denmark.

A visibly moved Justice Tariq Pervez announced: “Till I am alive I will visit the bar association every year on March 9 to greet the lawyers. After our restoration, during my tenure as chief justice we will officially observe one hour boycott on this day in solidarity with the lawyers, and I will also request my other brother judges to follow that practice.”

He added that he would also issue directives to the district judiciary to follow the same practice on March 9.

Responding to the statements of MQM leader, Altaf Hussain, that the judges had earlier taken oath under the PCO in 2000, Justice Tariq said that in accordance with the Islamic teachings a true Muslim should not repeat the same mistake twice and that was the reason that they had not repeated their earlier mistake.

“The lawyers have started this historic movement not for the sake of an individual but for the independence of judiciary,” he added.

Justice Shahjehan Khan said March 9 would always be written with golden words in the history of the country as on this date a chief justice had said “No” to a military ruler. From that date last year, he added, the lawyers started a long and arduous struggle for the independence of judiciary and rule of law.

Justice Ijaz Afzal Khan said that the controversial privatisation of Pakistan Steel Mills was an attempt by a cliché of people to multiply their fortune, but the Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry took suo motu notice of the issue and declared it illegal.He revealed that an 11-point agenda had been given to the government by the US which, if accepted, practically amounted to slavery. He said that the lawyers were creator of Pakistan and their struggle was now aimed at saving the country.

“The lawyers have been struggling with same fervour and spirit with which they had participated in the Pakistan movement and due to their efforts Pakistan will emerge as a political force in the world,” he added.