‘Lawyers to stand with nation against Indian plans’.

* Ex-SCBA president says govt should prepare for worst
* Terms extra marks to CJ Dogar’s daughter a ‘pathetic’ act

LAHORE: Lawyers across the country are with the nation and the armed forces in ensuring that aggressive Indian designs are not fulfilled, former Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) president Aitzaz Ahsan said on Monday.

The former SCBA president told a news conference that Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani had invited him to attend a conference on national security scheduled for December 2 (today), adding that he could not attend the conference, as he was no longer heading the SCBA. Aitzaz said that the government should invite incumbent SCBA President Ali Ahmad Kurd to the conference because he was the lawyers’ representative.

Aitzaz said that he would attend the meeting if the government invited him in addition to Kurd. Concerning the national security, he said there were no differences among lawyers, who considered the survival and defence of the country more important than anything else. He said India and Pakistan must adopt peaceful means to overcome tensions between them following the Mumbai attacks, adding that the two countries should avoid a war that would push peace efforts back by decades.

Prepare: He asked the government to stock commodities such as wheat, rice and oil; train the population in civil defence; and ensure the defence of the country’s eastern borders. He also asked Pakistanis, especially ruling politicians, to bring their foreign deposits back to the country. Aitzaz demanded the government immediately reinstate sacked chief justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry and other sacked judges. He also expressed concern over riots in Karachi, asking the government to take measures to control the law and order situation.He said that the lawyers’ movement for the restoration of the judiciary would continue, adding that a post-Eid meeting of the National Co-ordination Council would decide the future strategy.

Pathetic: Concerning the extra marks awarded to the daughter of Chief Justice Abdul Hameed Dogar, Aitzaz said it was a “pathetic” incident which had “shaken the confidence of the people in a person who is supposed to administer justice to everyone, but had played foul to get extra marks for his daughter”. He said Chief Justice Dogar must quit his office and apologise to the nation for his act. He said the lawyers’ movement would end after the reinstatement of Justice Chaudhry, adding that he could not give a time frame in this regard.

link: http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2008%5C12%5C02%5Cstory_2-12-2008_pg7_33