PESHAWAR, July 21: The Chief Justice of Pakistan has thanked the lawyers’ community of the NWFP and said that they played a historic role for the independence of judiciary.

Peshawar High Court Chief Justice Justice Tariq Pervez Khan conveyed the message of Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry to the lawyers here on Saturday.

Justice Tariq visited the bar room in the high court. He was received by senior lawyers, including Barrister Zahoorul Haq, Barrister Masood Kausar, Barrister Baachha, Mian Fasihul Mulk and others.

The chief justice said that Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry had asked him to convey his special thanks to the lawyers’ community here for the struggle they rendered for the independence of judiciary.

He quoted the Chief Justice of Pakistan as saying that the lawyers of the NWFP in general and that of Peshawar in particular had played a heroic role for the supremacy of law and the constitution.

On this occasion, Barrister Masood Kausar said that the judges had also played an exemplary role during the entire crisis.

He said the judges had created a history and the Supreme Court judgment would help establish the rule of law and guarantee fundamental rights of every individual in the country.

Meanwhile, the lawyers here decided to observe July 23 as the Thanksgiving Day in accordance with a decision of the All Pakistan Lawyers’ Committee.

They decided to offer special prayers besides other programmes for celebrating the restoration of Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry.

Our Kohat Correspondent adds: Lawyers and former parliamentarians celebrated the Supreme Court's decision and urged all military and civilian officials who appeared as witnesses on behalf of the government to quit their posts.

This was resolved in a meeting held at the office of the Kohat Bar Association on Saturday.

They adopted several unanimous resolutions one of which called for reinstating all government officials and judges who had resigned in protest against the reference.

The meeting also urged the Chief Justice to immediately order an investigation into the Lal Masjid operation.

KBA’s president Abdur Rauf termed the SC decision a landmark verdict and said that the Karachi killings of May 12 had provided impetus to the lawyers’ movement.

He hoped that elections would now be held in a fair manner and the SC would not allow re-elections of Gen Pervez Musharraf from the present assemblies.

Former provincial law minister and ex-MPA Sher Nawaz Khattak and Aurangzeb urged the president to resign after the US president’s statement that they would like to conduct operations in the tribal areas.

Asif Bangash, Javed Kaghazai and Mazhar Ali Shah also attended the meeting.

Our Swabi Correspondent adds: Leaders of various political parties and lawyers’ community welcomed the reinstatement of Chief justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry on Saturday, saying the judgment has written a new judicial history.

Jubilant lawyers of the Swabi Bar Association led by Iftikhar Khan and Changhaz Khan held a demonstration to celebrate the restoration of the Chief Justice.

The lawyers said that finally they had emerged victorious from the very difficult legal battle which had been won with the great determination for upholding the rule of law in the country.

Mushtaq Ahmad, provincial deputy chief of Jamait-i-Islam, said that after the Supreme Court’s historic verdict both the President and Prime Minister should tender resignations and set up a caretaker government to hold general election in the country.

The government, he said, had been hatching conspiracies to cancel the general election but such tactics were not acceptable to the masses.

Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf provincial vice-president Asad Qaisar said that the verdict of the Supreme Court had made it clear that those who wanted to undermine the independence of judiciary were defeated and lawyers and the masses had won a very crucial battle.

The historic verdict would have a positive impact on the judicial system of the country, he said.

Jehzeb Khan, former district nazim, said that the chief justice had been accused of misuse of power but the Supreme Court judgment had made it clear who had really indulged in such illegal practice.

“I salute the struggle waged by lawyers’ community and it was also a great victory of the judiciary and the people of the country.

Javad Inqilabi, President of People’s Lawyers’ Forum, said that the Supreme Court judgment had restored the dignity of the judiciary.