The big names of the legal community who led the lawyers’ movement have seem to have opted for selective commitment to rule of law by not taking a clear cut position to stand.

Pity!!!

Pakistan governor’s assassin in court hearing
(AFP) – Jan 24, 2011
RAWALPINDI, Pakistan — A man who admitted assassinating a Pakistani provincial governor to defend the country’s controversial blasphemy laws appeared in a prison court for a preliminary trial hearing Monday.
Bodyguard Malik Mumtaz Hussain Qadri has confessed that he gunned down his boss, Punjab governor Salman Taseer, on January 4 because he objected to the politician’s wish to amend the blasphemy law, which carries the death penalty.
Taseer’s killing has met with mixed reactions in Pakistan, with many from the country’s increasingly powerful conservative religious quarter praising the gunman for acting to silence the outspoken moderate politician.
Rallies have been held in honour of Qadri, who was showered with petals at earlier court hearings after he admitted to the shooting.
Monday’s hearing was held in private inside high-security Adiyala prison in Rawalpindi, a garrison city bordering capital Islamabad, with no media present.
Some 35 Qadri supporters from an Islamic youth group gathered outside the jail, reciting Koranic verses and shouting: “Allah is the Greatest”, “We salute you Qadri” and “Long Live Qadri, Long Live Punjab police”.
Qadri’s lawyer Shuja Rehman told AFP that investigation reports were submitted to the court before the hearing was adjourned until February 1, when the gunman would be indicted.
“We met Qadri in the prison. He is being kept in solitary confinement which is another form of torture. We asked the court to allow his family members to see him and he be given legal facilities in the prison,” said Rehman.
No prosecuting lawyer was available to comment.
According to an investigating officer, Qadri in his confession said that he killed Salman Taseer by himself and he had no links with any extremist organisation but was “impressed” by the speeches of two outspoken clerics.
The clerics known for their fiery sermons — Mufti Qari Haneef Qureshi and Imtiaz Shah — sought and were granted injunctions at a Rawalpindi court last week preventing them being arrested in connection with Qadri’s crime.
Qureshi appeared outside the prison to support Qadri on Monday, and told AFP that he had no involvement in the killing.
Qadri could be “one of thousands who offer prayers led by me” said Qureshi.
“I have come here because I want him to be freed by the court.”
The killing has reignited controversy over Pakistan’s blasphemy laws, which were recently used to sentence a Christian woman, Aasia Bibi, to death following a dispute with her fellow villagers in southern Punjab.
Taseer sought to amend the law, which human rights activists say is often abused in petty disputes, but in the face of huge public support for the legislation the government has said it has no plans to change it.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jKqtEqOmv4l_-FdQI4E4ML-JHp6w?docId=CNG.370a134cc186f62c77d9e39a3fb458d5.2a1

By the way, on the last picture in your post where AA is scratching his head, the green flags belong to which party? Does any one know?

Honorable Aitzaz Ahasan is our leader, he can just order any “Jaan Nisar” of him, and he will be there to sacrifice…. He called us from Spain during Bar elections and insisted us that don’t let Asma be alone… Am not there only bodily but my soul is among you people. Now this time he is here at the country and he will accept this request if asked formally…

LUBP writes against every single sane voice in the PPP including Sherry Rehman, Aitzaz Ahsan, Naheed Khan and Safdar Abbasi.

And now LUBP’s target is Citizens for Democracy.

Barelvi Scholar call everyone “DOG” (Kuttay)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XdKEWyCyfxs

Pakistani Lawyers Shower Murder Suspect With Roses
By ROBERT MACKEY

http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/01/05/pakistani-lawyers-shower-murder-suspect-with-roses/

The LUBP Archive on Aitzaz Ahsan

http://criticalppp.com/archives/27775

Finally, urban civil society’s organisation (Citizens for Democracy – CFD) took notice of the absence of prosecutor in the Taseer murder case, and sent this letter (No such letter was written to leaders of the lawyers movement):

………

Feb 6, 2011

(1).
To: President of Pakistan
To: The Prime Minister of Pakistan

We the undersigned express our deep dismay and outrage at the withdrawal of the public prosecutor from the Salmaan Taseer case on Feb 4. The prosecutor has reportedly said he was not given adequate protection. We find this to be an utterly unacceptable situation. It is indeed a sad day when a victim cannot find legal representation but many lawyers offer to represent a murderer, gratis.

We demand that the assassinated Punjab Governor be provided appropriate legal representation by the State.

We demand that both the Punjab and Federal governments immediately provide the prosecutor the requisite protection to enable him to appear in court and discharge his legal duties, and that action be taken against those who are threatening him.

Expecting justice to be done and the rule of law to be followed

Sincerely,
CFD

……..

However, as a commentator rightly noted on Twitter: The CFD’s letter is addressed to the President / Prime Minister. However, public prosecutor is a provincial government employee (just as Mumtaz Qadri was a Punjab government employee); security is the Punjab govt’s resp-why address PM/Pres not CM? Fishy business!

It was also noted that CFD founding members include some interesting urban names, such as Ansar Burney. Mr Burney is the same person who filed petition to remove female judges becuase in his view female judges are not permitted in Islam.

Judgement of Federal Sharia Court
http://federalshariatcourt.gov.pk/Leading%20Judgements/Sh.Pet.No.K-4%20of%201992.pdf

@Farrukh: For the record: This letter was never sent, and while it was being considered, there was a discussion to add CM Punjab to the list of recipients.
Secondly, Ansar Burney is not a founding member of CFD. He only endorsed the CFD stand.
Would be good to get facts right before shooting off the hip. Thanks.

@Shakil: CFD founder members are Saleem Akhter (CPP), Beena Sarwar (journalist), Nasir Mansoor (LPP), Naeem Sadiq, Nasir Arain (concerned citizens), Nuzhat Kidvai (WAF), Noman Peter (NCJP), William Sadiq (Action Committee for Human Rights), Noman Quadri (student), Zeenia Shaukat, Zulfiqar Shah (Piler), Dr Habib Soomro, Dr Samrina Hashmi (PMA).

Moving, slowly, haltingly, towards justice

Punjab Governor Salmaan Taseer was gunned down in Islamabad by Malik Mumtaz Qadri on January 4, 2011 in broad daylight. Qadri, who was part of Mr Taseer’s security detail, confessed that he had indeed killed the late governor. On Monday, an anti-terrorism court charged Qadri with terrorism and murder. Qadri was asked by the judge whether he intentionally killed Mr Taseer to which he said that he acted “in accordance with the teachings of the Holy Quran and Sunnah because he [Mr Taseer] had committed blasphemy”, thus his action was justified. The next hearing of the case is on February 26. It was decided that the court would now continue hearing of this case on a weekly basis.

Finally we seem to be moving towards justice for Mr Taseer. This case is quite sensitive. Lawyers were unwilling to take up Mr Taseer’s case in view of the right-wing forces’ support for his assassin Mumtaz Qadri. The prosecutor had initially pulled out when the government did not provide adequate security. Fortunately, the situation has now been remedied. It is indeed brave of the state prosecutor and the judge to proceed with the case given the precarious security situation surrounding this case. Their courage has been strengthened by the shifting of the case to inside Adiala Jail after the troubling public manifestations of support for Qadri by right wing lawyers and others at his appearances emerged.

The issue of blasphemy has always been a sensitive subject in Pakistan, especially after General Ziaul Haq tampered with the blasphemy laws and made the death penalty mandatory. Many people accused of blasphemy were killed by angry mobs or individuals before or during their trial. Justice Arif Iqbal Bhatti of the Lahore High Court was killed because he had acquitted two men accused of alleged blasphemy on the basis that the case against them could not be proved. Human rights organisations have been asking for repeal or amendment of this man-made and flawed law for decades now. In 2010, Aasia Bibi, a Christian woman, was handed down a death sentence for alleged blasphemy. She was the first woman to be given a death sentence in a blasphemy case. Aasia Bibi’s case led to an anti-blasphemy laws campaign once again. (Late) Salmaan Taseer visited her in jail in November last year. It opened up a Pandora’s Box and the religious right erupted in anger. Fatwas (edicts) were issued left, right and centre against Mr Taseer. In the end, he paid with his life for raising his voice against injustice. The death of a brave man should have jolted the people of Pakistan from their deep slumber. Instead, there was an unexpected reaction. Except for a small number of people, most Pakistanis either kept quiet on his death or hailed Qadri as a hero. The government’s spinelessness on the blasphemy issue strengthened the religious right, who then came out in large numbers to warn the government in case it ever decided to change or repeal the blasphemy laws. Finally, the government gave in to their demands and assured that no one will so much as even touch these flawed laws.

On the day of his indictment, some students left flowers and Valentine’s Day gifts for Qadri at Adiala Jail. Two clerics — Hanif Qureshi and Ishtiaq Shah — whose sermons allegedly inspired Qari to commit this heinous crime, were also present outside the jail in support of Qadri. In the backdrop of all these events, it is commendable that despite threats and intimidation, the prosecution and the court are going ahead with the case and Qadri has been indicted for murder. The assassination of a serving governor, and that too one who at the risk of his life stood against injustice, is no small matter. It is hoped that the trial will continue without any further hurdles and the ends of justice will be served.

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=20112\16\story_16-2-2011_pg3_1