ISLAMABAD, May 23: The Joint Action and Implementation Committee of the Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) and the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) on Friday finalised strategy for lawyers’ June 10 long march for reinstatement of the deposed judges. The committee also announced that Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry would address the Faisalabad bar on Saturday.

After attending a joint meeting held at the Supreme Court building, PBC vice-chairman Sayed Rehman and SCBA president Aitzaz Ahsan told media personnel that Justice Iftikhar would attend the lawyers’ convention of the Faisalabad Bar Association but the event was not part of the long march.

Lawyers and members of the civil society would assemble at the residence of Justice Iftikhar on Saturday from where a caravan would leave for Faisalabad through motorway to participate in the convention.

They said several other processions would also join Justice Iftikhar’s caravan on the Islamabad-Lahore and the Pindi Bhattian-Faisalabad motorways. Justice Iftikhar would not deliver any speech during the journey to Faisalabad, they added.

Explaining the strategy for the June 10 long march, Mr Ahsan said that the march would start with the slogan; “We are out to save the country -- come and join us.” Deposed and retired judges of the superior courts would also take part in the long march.

He expressed the hope that the June 10 protest would be a historic event, and appealed to the people to come and join the lawyers’ movement in large numbers to save the country and finish the dictatorship for ever. He said lawyers were fighting the war of masses that would continue till the independence of judiciary.

Different committees, he said, would be formed to monitor processions and mobilise public opinion by creating awareness among students, traders, members of the civil society and masses to support the struggle for independence of the judiciary and true democracy. Separate groups would also supervise caravans of traders, students, women, labourers and farmers.

Processions from Balochistan, Sukkur and Karachi would be led by former vice-chairman of the PBC, Ali Ahmad Kurd, and the presidents of Sukkur and Karachi bar associations, respectively.

On June 11 processions would leave Multan for Lahore via Sahiwal and Okara, where ex- judges would address bar associations. On June 12, the processions from Lahore, NWFP and Azad Kashmir would leave for Islamabad and gather in front of the Parliament House.

Referring to the proposed constitutional package, Mr Ahsan said neither he nor any representative of lawyers was involved in the process of drafting the package and he would give his reaction after looking at it.

He said if the independent judges accepted the proposed constitutional package it would also be acceptable to lawyers.

The meeting was also attended by Ali Ahmad Kurd, presidents of high courts bar associations and members of the PBC and SCBA.