The Lahore Bar Association organised a convention at Alhamra Hall in which office-bearers of different bar association and bar councils of the country participated.

A resolution was unanimously passed wherein it was announced that the black day would be observed to record their protest against the election of Raja Pervaiz Ashraf who, according to them, is involved in Rental Power Plants scam and he should be in the dock instead of in the PM House. It said that after disqualification of a convicted premier, an accused PM was not acceptable.

The lawyers further resolved that those hatching conspiracies against judiciary would not be spared.

Lahore Bar Association President Ch Zulfiqar Ali read out the resolution and said all bar associations of the country would observe a complete strike on June 27 besides taking out rallies and hoisting back flags on rooftops of bar buildings.

Representative of the bar associations and councils said verdicts of the apex court should be implemented in letter and spirit. They said bar and bench were part and parcel for each other and lawyers would not sit idle until the verdicts of Supreme Court are implemented.

They said Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry was not an individual but representative of an institution and pledged their full support to the CJP. They vowed that institution of judiciary would be protected even at the cost of their lives. Showing solidarity with the CJP, they said they would stand by the CJP, and independence of the judiciary and the rule of law.

Supreme Court Bar Association Vice President Imrana Baloch, addressing the convention, said that PPP government was bent upon nominating corrupt persons for top slots and playing havoc with the people’s lives.

Politicians in the name of democracy are fulfilling their and others’ vested interests, she added. She said lawyers were protectors of independent judicial system.

Member Pakistan Bar Council Hamid Khan said the PPP government would have to write letter to Swiss authorities to reopen graft cases against the president.

“How a corrupt figure like Raja Pervaiz Ashraf could be accepted as the premier,” he added. He said that such a prime minister deserves to be in the dock instead of in the PM House.

Expressing his views regarding Memo scandal, he alleged that Husain Haqqani was a double agent working for President Asif Zardari and America as well. All authors of Memo scandal should be brought to the book as it was a heinous attempt to sabotage integrity of the state, he added. Hamid demanded an immediate suspension of Attorney General Irfan Qadir.

Multan High Court Bar Association President Mehmood Ashraf said the corrupt leaders were not willing to see an independent judiciary as it is the biggest hurdle in achievement of their corrupt motives. Karachi High Court Bar President Mehmoodul Hassan, Sindh Bar Council Member Noor Naz Agha, High Court Bar Association Vice President Hafeezur Rehman, Muzaffargarh Bar President Syed Mansoob Bukhari, Attock district Bar President Azmat Bukhari, Dadu District Bar President Muhammad Anwar, Sargodha Bar President Shams Naveed Cheema, representatives of Sanghar Bar, Mianwali, Mandi Bahauddin, Jampur, Rawalpinid, Narowal, Pakpattan and several others addressed the convention.

Online adds: The Rawalpindi city lawyers Saturday went on strike against the election of Raja Pervaiz Ashraf as the new prime minister, boycotted courts and caused troubles to the litigants. On the call of Rawalpindi High Court Bar and District Bar, the courts in district kutchehri were boycotted.