RAWALPINDI, Dec 13: Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaaf chairman Imran Khan said on Thursday that the objective of the struggle for reinstatement of the deposed judges was to bring about a change in the status quo.

Addressing a gathering at the Rawalpindi District Bar Association, he said a peaceful change was possible only through the rule of law and that was impossible without an independent judiciary.

He said the struggle would be futile if major parities took part in the general elections and gave legitimacy to the unconstitutional steps taken by a dictator on November 3.

A large number of lawyers, political workers, students, civil society members and journalists attended the meeting.

Criticising the Pakistan People’s Party and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz for their decision to take part in the elections, Mr Khan said if they could not stand by the deposed judges there would be no one to challenge the dictatorial rule in future.

Mr Sharif and Ms Bhutto assert that they would speak for the cause of judges in assemblies after the elections, but, he asked, could the last ‘dummy assemblies’ do anything to stop the killing of innocent people in the tribal areas, the Lal Masjid operation and now the operation in Swat.

He said people’s representatives had never been consulted when the decisions were taken about purchase of weapons, accepting American financial help and launching military operations against the people of Pakistan.

He called upon lawyers to make the masses aware of the significance of their struggle because only a free judiciary could guarantee basic human rights.

Jamaat-i-Islami chief Qazi Hussain Ahmed said an independent judiciary was a threat to the interests of exploiters and the corrupt strata of society that always made their way to the corridors of power.

He said the PPP and the PML-N had been accusing the government of planning to rig the polls, but they were ready to be part of this farcical process.

He said they should raise voice for the cause of judiciary as they could not get a two-thirds majority in parliament to repeal the unconstitutional amendments after these had been given the constitutional cover by the present judiciary.