Pakistani Lawyers Plan Further Protests Over Sacked Judges

Source: Bloomberg

By Farhan Sharif

May 17 (Bloomberg) -- Lawyers plan to start a new round of protests against Pakistan's six-week-old government for failing to reinstate judges sacked by President Pervez Musharraf last year, culminating in a march through Punjab province on June 10.

``Lawyers will start holding meetings from May 24 till June 9 to protest,'' Rasheed Razvi, chairman of the Pakistan Bar Council, said by telephone from Islamabad today. ``And if the judges are not reinstated by that time, we will hold a long march as a final protest on June 10.''

Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif plans to join the lawyers' action after his Pakistan Muslim League quit the ruling coalition last week because of differences with the Pakistan Peoples Party over how to reinstate the judges ...

Musharraf dismissed 60 justices in November before the Supreme Court was to rule on whether to invalidate his re- election for a second five-year term ...

Read more: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601080&sid=a_N5hf345dU0&refer=asia

By SHAFQAT ALI
With Agency Inputs

Islamabad, May 18: Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s party will join lawyers in street protests in June to press for the restoration of judges sacked by President Pervez Musharraf, a spokesman said on Sunday, a move that could further strain the unravelling coalition government.

"We not only will fully support but (will) be part and parcel of this long march," said party spokesman Sadiqul Farooq, adding that Mr Sharif would personally participate.

Pakistan Bar Council, the highest elected body of lawyers, has announced to launch a "long march" on June 10 for the reinstatement of the judges sacked by President Pervez Musharraf on November 3, 2007.

After six-hour long in camera meeting at the Karachi Shuhada Hall of the Lahore high court on Saturday evening, PBC vice-chairman Saad Rehman along with Supreme Court Bar Association president Aitzaz Ahsan made the announcement at a news conference ... http://howrah.org/World/12620.html

R&K

The Pakistani government is preparing the ground for President Pervez Musharraf's face-saving exit from office and his resignation.

Musharraf "has offered to resign in return for indemnity by Parliament for his unconstitutional steps taken on November 3, 2007," The Pakistani daily News reported Wednesday, quoting unnamed sources. Law Minister Farooq H. Naek was tantalizingly vague on the issue." Wait and see. Everything is open as of today," he said.

Musharraf's offer to quit was reportedly made during recent rounds of negotiations between the representatives of President and the ruling Pakistan People's Party on a constitutional amendment package tabled by the party. "It came through when the President's House realized that the PPP would restore all the judges (Musharraf had sacked in November) and clip the presidential powers," the sources added.

The amendments, to be introduced next month, relates to an ambiguity surrounding Article VI of the Constitution under which the president can be tried for treason if he subverts the statute.

Musharraf is demanding a price to agree to the constitutional package, the daily added.

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