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KARACHI, March 18: Welcoming the Murree Declaration, the secretary-general of the Jamaat-i-Islami, Munawwar Hasan, on Tuesday said that he, however, feared that it might meet the same fate as many other resolutions that had been passed during the five-year tenure of the last parliament but could not get implemented.
He stressed the need for an executive order behind the resolution for reinstatement of the deposed judges and urged the implementation of the same in its true spirit.
The JI leader was speaking at a general body meeting of the Karachi Bar Association (KBA) held at the Shuhada-i-Punjab Hall of the City Courts.
Mr Hasan was of the view that an executive order was a much better option than a resolution to reinstate the deposed judges.
“A two-thirds majority is not needed to reverse the Nov 3 amendments to the constitution since it was done by a single man. Those who are talking about a two-thirds majority or resolution for the restoration of the pre-PCO judiciary are actually justifying the illegality of the Nov 3 actions”, he said.
‘Musharraf be impeached twice’
The JI office-bearer said that President Pervez Musharraf must be impeached twice for suspending and making amendments to the constitution twice, which had no precedent in the history of Pakistan.
Mr Hasan lauded the determination and commitment of the legal fraternity during the ongoing struggle for the independence of the judiciary, restoration of the deposed judges, and supremacy of the constitution and the rule of law.
The JI leader said that the legal fraternity had not only sustained the movement but also made it more effective during the last 53 weeks.
Unity urged
He also appreciated the participation and role of the members of civil society, media and political activists during the struggle but warned that conspiracies were being hatched to sabotage the movement, and urged the lawyers’ community and members of civil society to continue the struggle with the same passion, strength and determination.
“We do not accept the high court’s verdict on May 12 tragic incident and hope that the deposed judges will take notice of this and punish the culprits once they are reinstated,” he said.
‘Peace without MQM a challenge’
Mr Hasan said that the people of Karachi wanted peace but it would be a big challenge for the new provincial government of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) to maintain law and order in the city if the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) was not included in the government.
The JI leader said that the chief justice of Pakistan and his family was being punished for taking serious notice of the missing persons’ issue.
Besides, he added, the President’s House was also afraid from the then chief justice as he was heading a bench that was about to announce its verdict regarding President Musharraf’s candidature and the fate of the so-called National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) was also hanging in the balance.
He was of the view that the results of the Feb 18 elections were sufficient to prove that the people of this country had rejected President Musharraf and his policies.
“In order to stay in power the presidency first made an unsuccessful attempt to divide the opposition and now using the Supreme Court for this purpose,” he said.
The JI leader said that if the Supreme Court barred the parliament from restoring the deposed judges, the member parties of the All Pakistan Democratic Movement (APDM) would join hands with the legal fraternity to launch a fresh movement against President Musharraf.
Second judicial bus
The president of the Karachi Bar Association, Mahmoodul Hasan, lauded the support of the Jamaat-i-Islami and other parties of the APDM extended to the lawyer’s fraternity in their ongoing struggle for the restoration of an independent judiciary.
He announced that the second judicial bus would leave from the Sindh High Court building to Mirpurkhas on March 22, while the members of Hyderabad and Badin bar associations would also join the caravan.
