:::: MENU ::::
Posts tagged with: Iftikhar Chaudhry
Mar 22, 2009    |      1 comment

Flag hoisted at Chief Justice Iftikhar residence

The national flag hoisting ceremony was performed at the residence of Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry at Judges’ Enclave Islamabad today. In the ceremony two flags were hoisted outside the residence of Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry. The two flags unfurled on behalf of the civil society and the lawyers.

Chaudhry Aitzaz Ahsan announced the names of the persons who would hoist the flag. The names include Shaharyar Awan, the son of Imdad Awan Shaheed, Dr Israr Shah who lost his legs in the bomb blast on July 17, 2007. Civil society activist Tahira Abdullah, minorities leader J. Salik, Jaidev Sharma, Jamal Mir, Muhammad Naveed Mushtaq, mother of student leader Samad Khurram, Ali Asghar Khan, Hasil Bizenjo, representatives from media included Mazhar Abbas, Talat Hussain, Hamid Mir & Asima Shirazi.

Naheed Khan and Safdar Abbasi, two close aides of People’s Party chairperson Shaheed Benazir Bhutto represented her.
Continue Reading

Mar 22, 2009    |       9 comments

Supreme Court website reinstates CJP Iftikhar Chaudhry

honourable-chief-justice-of-pakistanAs of midnight 12:00AM 22nd March 2009 the Supreme Court of Pakistan website had officially updated its service to reflect the newly reappointed Honorable Chief Justice of Pakistan Mr. Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry. The most important fact to note is that the record stands precisely as “Appointed as Chief Justice Pakistan on 30th June 2005”.

Reinstatement of Ifitkhar Chaudhry is step one towards the achievement of an independent Judiciary and now upon his shoulders [and other non-PCO judges] rest the burden of imparting justice to the people of Pakistan and hopefully standing up against the crooked and corrupt. So long to all the DOGar’s of Pakistan, we hope that you all may soon disappear into history merely as a bad dream.

Mar 21, 2009    |       6 comments

Update: CJP Flag Hoisting by Naheed Khan & Safdar Abbasi?

It was precisely 505 days since that fateful day on November 3rd 2007 when General Pervaiz Musharraf overthrew a sitting Chief Justice and replaced him with an illegally sworn judge. On Sunday 22nd March the Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammed Chaudhry will be reinstated and to celebrate the momentous occasion the official flag will be hoisted at his residence at 11:00AM in the morning.

It should have been a momentous occasion to celebrate the activists who helped the reinstatement. Now as the Chief Justice is about to resume his work, it is reported in the press that Barrister Aitzaz Ahsan has taken it upon himself to hold a flag hoisting ceremony at the Chief Justice’s house. Talking to media he has said that political parties have been invited to participate in the ceremony while Naheed Khan, Safdar Abbasi and Shaharyar Awan (son of late lawyer leader Imdad Awan) are to hoist the flag.

One does have to wonder why such individuals have been picked by Aitzaz, to have selected people who have practically done little to help the reinstatement of the CJP Iftikhar. It seems more like a move by Aitzaz for political salvation amongst the potential PPP-breakaway faction, if for nothing else.
Continue Reading

Mar 17, 2009    |      1 comment

16 March, a new dawn in Pakistan

Guest Blog by Amjad Malik

Yousaf Raza Gillani’s early in the morning address to the nation restoring the remaining including the Chief justice of Pakistan Mr. Justice Iftikhar Mohammed Chowdhary was a sigh of relief to the nation. Alas, President Zardari’s advisors could not foresee the repercussions of his decisions not to restore CJ and imposition of Governor rule and he had to see this day. The same mistake was made of the aide of Gen. Musharraf on 9 march 2007 when they advised him to sack the very judge who was lauded by millions in the country for his fairness and bravery. In any event, in the end common sense prevailed and politics won on the day. PM’s decision to seek review of the decision of Supreme Court of 25 February 2009 is the key to promote tolerance in the state, and harmony amongst provinces. This review will also keep the little left respect of the supreme court intact too, as parliamentary action would have promoted confrontation between both. This is the victory of the whole nation which is alive and conscious of the situation it is in, and the whole nation including all section of society whether political workers, civil society, media, lawyers, and lay men, women, and children deserve to be applauded for their forbearance and free expression of their will by participating in the long march.

One must wonders that due to lack of foresightedness, the rulers provided an opportunity to the slept lion Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif to show his bravery and defiance on principles, and popularity which is devastating for the Govt at this early juncture of their 5 years slot. But it will be unjust if we forget the steadfast lawyer leadership, UN intimidated media and robust civil society with thousands of unnamed supporting characters who brought the rulers to their knees and won fruit on the day of long march. They stood on the ground like they did on 3 November 2007 at the time of emergency. Govt of Gillani deserves to be appreciated for listening and meeting public demands, respecting the will of the people as Lawyers and civil society were on streets since 9 March 2007. Army command deserves applause for nipping their lust for power when they bore patiently with the inefficiencies of our today’s rulers who blindfolded threw the nation into a turmoil and flared the hatred when the spirit of reconciliation was in the air. This is the time when Pakistani people have a chance to regroup and make this country a mirror image of the aspirations of millions of those who decided to join this new land at the time of independence in 1947 in a dream come true style by sacrificing nearly 4 million souls. Nation was jubilant in May 1998 after becoming an atomic power and now the nation has a cause to be overjoyed after seeking victory on a principled point of restoration of Chief Justice who defied a military dictator.
Continue Reading

Mar 5, 2009    |       10 comments

Declaration by the National Conference for the restoration of Independent Judiciary

Declaration adopted at the National Conference for the restoration of independent judiciary held at Islamabad on 4th March, 2009

This National Conference having deliberated upon the need for the restoration of the independent judiciary in the country and for that purpose it was necessary to undertake a peaceful and non-violent Long March to Islamabad and then to peacefully undertake a sit-in (Dharna) in front of the Parliament House, adopts the following resolution:

WHEREAS: This Conference is of the view that the actions taken by the General Musharaf on November 03, 2007 were wholly illegal, malafide and unconstitutional and therefore cannot be sustained;

AND WHEREAS: The action of November 03, 2007 ought to have been reversed by executive action and all their effects ought to have been purged immediately after General Elections of February 18, 2008 but was not done;
Continue Reading

Feb 27, 2009    |       66 comments

1971 All Over Again – PPP repeating History !

Circulated from the Emergency Times Mailing List, originally Ibitians by Syed Ali Hameed

Zulfiqar Ali BhuttoIn 1971, the Chairperson of the PPP, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, refused to acknowledge the mandate of the people of East Pakistan and prevented a democratically elected government from functioning. Notwithstanding the mess that our “great” army had left us with, it was the PPP Chairperson who had adorned complete dictatorial stature and threatened to break legs of anyone who would attend the assembly inauguration session in Dhaka. Bangladeshis resisted and eventually took up arms and fought for independence. Pakistan had lost its most populous province and split into two.

Today, another PPP Chairperson has engineered a verdict that refuses to give the democratically elected government its right to function. Zardari is doing exactly what Bhutto had done in 1971 – eliminating all challenges that may come in his way to become another “Civilian Martial Law Administrator”. It was Sheikh Mujeeb, the rightfully elected leader of Pakistan, who was the biggest challenge to Bhutto’s throne. For Zardari, it is the rightful Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry, who will not only revoke the NRO but also put an end to the stretches of today’s corruption.
Continue Reading

Jan 27, 2009    |       15 comments

Long March 2009, Once bitten twice shy

Guest Blog by Amjad Malik

9th March Long MarchOn 28 March 2008, when Chief Justice Chowdhary visited Mr. Zardari to pay condolences over the death of Be Nazir Bhuttoo, the writer wrote as following, “It’s an ill advice of half lawyer half politician leaders who sometimes are trapped in between party loyalty and the cause of independence of judiciary and forget that judge’s reinstatement is not an issue at all, the issue is their complete autonomy and independence. With this speed the way things are developing, we may get the jobs of those judges back but the process may affect the capacity of top judge to dispense justice on equality basis”.

The writer in his thesis recommended to form a committee and wrote, “People of Pakistan did not lay their lives to see a judge visiting the rulers which may seem an exercise to clear reservations or settle terms in order to seek his job back, its vice versa people want the rulers to come at the door step of the top judge who must be acknowledged for his steadfastness, bold stand and bravery and masses do not want the reinstatement of justice Choudhary, if it is not with full pride and honour, but they want to see the restoration of the prestige of the office of the chief justice who was detained with family, ill treated, and mal handled by state functionaries and law enforcement segments. It will be quite in the interest of ruling party to take the lawyers struggle down by slowly defusing the popular slogan of reinstatement and or bending the top man, however with wisdom, consultation and pride these tactics can be defused and jurist committee is a step towards right direction”. Though my writing went beyond notice and we had a long march without results. On the fall of long March 08, the writer on 16 June expressed his views and wrote in his column that, “ Lawyers are different from others only because they consult, take advice from seniors and agree to disagree on all major issues of principle. It also gives a lesson that with fiery speeches you may get applause but judiciary does not get independence. It requires sheer political will, joint collaboration and consultation in the national interest, wisdom and sacrifice which is pre requisite to translate this dream into a reality. May be consultation is the key which needs to be mastered in coming days by lawyers”.
Continue Reading

Oct 23, 2008    |       38 comments

Don’t Blame the Victim – Detailed analysis of Dr. Aafia Siddiqui’s case

I share with you a detailed report published on the People’s Resistance mailing list analyzing the abduction of Dr. Aafia Siddqui and her ongoing trial in the US Courts. Please take time to read the report and if you agree with the contents then it would be a great help if you can join in the effort to spread the word far and wide to get more support for her.

Download the PDF Version
[download#6]

Case study

On March 30, 2003, Dr. Aafia Siddiqui disappeared from Karachi along with her three minor children. Media reported that she had been taken by the US authorities with compliance of Pakistani authorities since the FBI had wanted to seek some information from her. In the face of general outcry, the US and Pakistani authorities quickly backtracked but then a year later Pakistani Foreign Office admitted publicly that Aafia had been handed over to the US.1

She became a concern for human rights organizations including Amnesty International who kept the case alive for five years. On July 6, 2008, political party Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf presented a British journalist in Islamabad who said there was reason to believe that Aafia was the “Prisoner 650” at Bagram (Afghanistan) and had undergone brutal rape and torture for five years. Outcry reaches a high water mark and urgent appeals were sent by Asian Human Rights Commission on July 22, to President George Bush and other persons of authority.

On August 4, the US authorities officially admitted of having Aafia in their custody but the US Department of Justice brought forth a charge sheet against her, claiming that she was arrested on July 17 (and not before) while loitering around near the residence of Ghazni’s Governor. They alleged that papers found in her handbag included instructions on making bombs and notes about installations in US.

Continue Reading

Oct 21, 2008    |       22 comments

‘Iftikhar’

Guest Blog by Amjad Malik

Iftikhar is translated as ‘honour ’ in the dictionary, however this one word in Pakistan has gained significance from the name of deposed Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Mohammed Chowdhary who is still waiting for his restoration on 3rd November position. He was dismissed, and detained by General Musharraf as a result of an unlawful military action. Chowdhary not only settled the score of history by challenging the myth that Pakistani judges are always ready to work hand in hand to support its generals , but also tried to nip the very evil in the bud, which is core of Pakistan’s constitutional hap hazard history, the all time notorious ‘law of necessity.’

When we look at these hollow claims that law of necessity is buried forever especially after 20 July, we must analyse as to why there always seem a gap which is filled by our Generals. We need to look at the reasons as to why the country was divided in 1971; corruption allegations always surfaced in civilian rule and military never could hold them accountable as they lacked legitimacy. Musharraf regime despite weak opposition and leaps of dollars could not go nearer to the completion of its seven point’s agenda. In fact, he brought the federation to near collapse. Most ironic is the current civilized government who seems an epitome of mal administration where committee chairmen along with anyone coming to Premier house with warnings is deemed fit to be given ‘Federal Minister Status.’ President house seems to be representing a group amongst one party only than the federation. In these circumstances the slogan or aspiration of rule of law, democracy, justice, and governance seems a wish for the moon. Iftikhar Chowdhary has turned the tide towards the very basic fact that from Karachi to Khyber people demand justice let it be Justice with the state, justice with the nation or justice with the institutions.
Continue Reading

Oct 10, 2008    |       11 comments

PBC suspends lawyers: What Musharraf could not do!

Guest post by Silence from Islamabad Observer blog

The Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) has suspended the practicing licences of advocates Mahmood Ashraf and Rana Naveed, President and General Secretary, respectively of the Lahore High Court (Multan bench) for allegedly misbehaving with Latif Khosa, Attorney General of Pakistan, who also acts as an ex-officio Chairman of PBC. The PBC also restrained them from functioning as office bearers and operating the Bar accounts.

According to details, High Court Bar Association of Multan had banned Sardar Latif Khosa’s entry in Multan High Court Bar in a meeting of ‘General House’, yet he arrived at High Court Bar accompanied by lawyers belonging to People’s Lawyers Forum. The Secretary Bar, Rana Naveed and some other lawyers objected to Khosa’s presence there and ask him to leave and started to chant slogans demanding restoration of Chief Justice of Pakistan, Ifthakhar Muhammad Chaudhry.

Continue Reading

Sep 14, 2008    |       7 comments

The Lawyers Movement – Achievements and Challenges

By Faisal Siddiqi
Advocate

Is it time to write the obituary of the lawyer’s movement? Or will this lawyer’s movement never be defeated because history and truth (and some say, God) is on our side?. The aforementioned responses are the two opposite responses given to the current impasse in the lawyer’s movement. The former response suffers from opportunistic scepticism and the latter response from irrational optimism. What is required is to avoid both these extreme positions. The lawyer’s movement urgently requires to build on it’s achievements, to learn from it’s past mistakes and to objectively analyze it’s future challenges in order to determine it’s goals and devise a realistic strategy to achieve these goals. The lawyer’s movement can neither go home in despair nor carry on with the same old script and strategy of their struggle.

What, has been and is, the principle objective of the lawyer’s movement? To restore, enhance and preserve the independence of the judiciary from both executive and legislative domination. The battle ground for this objective has been the restoration, enhancement and preservation of independent judges. In striving for this principle objective of the independence of the judiciary, the lawyer’s movement has also been the warrior brigade for the intrinsically linked objective of constitutional democracy in Pakistan. One doesnot want to sound arrogant or blow one’s own trumpet but in terms of the aforementioned objectives, the lawyer’s movement has been remarkably successful and there seems to be no rational reason for scepticism or for irrational bouts of despair and despondency.
Continue Reading

Jul 30, 2008    |       595 comments

Missing Pakistani – Dr. Afia Siddiqui – Prisoner 650

A few days back the Asian Human Rights Commission issued an urgent press release about a Pakistani, Dr. Afia Siddiqui, who has been missing from Pakistan for over four years, since 2003. Her kidnapping has since then been denied by both American and Pakistani governments but actually she has been suspected of being an operative of Al-Qaeda and has been on FBI’s wanted list. There is reason to believe that she is also one of the missing persons who had been ‘handed over’ to the Americans courtesy of Pervaiz Musharraf. Let us not forget that the missing persons case was a turning point in the history of Pakistan where Pervaiz Musharraf had a severe falling out with the then CJP Iftikhar Chaudhry who was investigating this case and probably stepped on a few toes definitely ended up rumbling a few skeleton locked within Musharraf’s treasure chest of hidden secrets

ACTION ALERT

  1. Sign Asian Human Rights Commission’s Urgent letter of Appeal which will send an email to Bush, Karzai, Gilani, Farooq Naek & Rehman Malik
  2. Sign the online petition for her release
  3. Join Facebook groups to participate in digital activism to raise awareness here and here
  4. Spread the word by email & SMS to all your contacts so as to create more pressure

Continue Reading

Jul 29, 2008    |       6 comments

People’s Resistance – Welcomes Judges to Karachi

The People’s Resistance (PR) welcomes Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry, a symbol of constitutionalism, to the city of Karachi. We salute the Chief Justice and all those honorable judges who upheld the constitution of Pakistan by saying “NO” to the illegal Provisional Constitutional Order (PCO). Together they stood for the voice of their conscience, sacrificing their liberty and well-being, to protect the Constitution of Pakistan.

We protest and hold the government responsible for its failure to do what should have been its very first priority. We believe that a lawful and independent judicial system is a pre-requisite for development and progress in Pakistan. We are fearful that the absence of Justice will lead to lawlessness and disorder, which will exacerbate the shortage of food, the spread of extremism and the economic strife.

As a civil society advocacy and watchdog group, PR stands for the complete and unconditional restoration of the November 03, 2007 judiciary.
Continue Reading

Jun 17, 2008    |       8 comments

Pakistan; The Ongoing “Soft Revolution” towards a “Welfare State” – Part II

Guest Post by Silence
Part I of this series can be read here

The first Cultural Revolution in history of sub-continent was the Sufi movement, from the 13th century A.D. Sufism increasingly attracted the creative social and intellectual energies within the community and with the passage of time it acquired new dimensions and began to deal with the mundane aspects of life as well to free religious thought from the rigidity imposed by Mullah and to move away towards rural areas from the evil and debilitation effects of wealth, monarchy and bureaucracy concentrated in big cities.

The character of Sufi movement was such that if did not require official patronage or military protection and it also proved a serious challenge for both feudal and Mullahs however the movement was hijacked by converting the graves of Saints in to shrines, feudal patronized these shrines by donating lands to the caretakers and a new class of “Peers” emerged which was pro-establishment.

These peer’s who had actively helped British or had remained neutral now emerged and filled the vacuum of the empty places of nationalist Indians and as leaders of Muslim public opinion.
Continue Reading

Pages:‹123›