RAWALPINDI, Oct 25: Representatives of lawyers here on Saturday urged the people to attend their convention to be held on November 3 at the District Bar Association (DBA) and participate in their subsequent protest rally towards the Parliament in a bid to make the sitting government honour its promise about the restoration of deposed judges.

The call was made by the presidents of High Court Bar Association (HCBA) and DBA, Sardar Asmatullah and Sardar Tariq Masood, respectively, in a joint press conference at the bar library where other bar office-bearers were also present.

The lawyers expressed the hope that they would get a response that they received on the occasion of the long march in June and urged upon the students, political workers and civil society members to come out once again to protest Musharraf’s November 3 unconstitutional steps that had not been undone by the elected government despite the fact that people voted against the military dictator in February 18 general elections.

The deposed chief justice, Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry, would address the lawyers’ convention on November 3 during which he would disclose many things that were still hidden, Sardar Asmatullah said.

The convention will be held on the parking of the bar premises and anti-government slogans would not be raised as the lawyers would only protest against the government’s broken promises regarding the reinstatement of the deposed judges.

The HCBA president said the result of October 28 elections of the Supreme Court Bar Association would reveal that the lawyers’ movement for the independence of judiciary had not subsided as Ali Ahmed Kurd would have an overwhelming success against his rival candidate.

He dispelled the impression that the People’s Lawyers Forum had not been supporting Ali Kurd and said there were a few opportunist lawyers who had campaigned against Kurd after getting jobs but an overwhelming majority would vote for Kurd keeping in view his struggle and sacrifices for the independence of judiciary.

Highlighting the significance of an independent judiciary, the leader of the lawyers said had there been independent judges in the higher judiciary the economic and security situation would have been a lot better as the problems would have been solved and the responsible held accountable.

DBA President Sardar Tariq criticised the PPP-led government for backing out from the pledges on the issue of restoration of judges. He maintained that people would remember November 3 as black day and make it a lesson for the future adventurers.

The lawyers said they were in contact with the law enforcement agencies about the security arrangements on the convention day and said they themselves would also overlook the steps taken in this regard.