Pakistan courts frozen by lawyers' boycott

Pakistan's judicial system faced paralysis on Dec. 6 after protesting lawyers opposed to President Musharraf's military rule pledged to boycott courts presided over by judges and magistrates who have taken an oath of loyalty under the state of emergency. The move by the lawyers came as negotiators from the country's two main opposition parties inched towards an agreement aimed at forming a united front to boycott the scheduled January 8 election and thereby, they believe, destroy its credibility. It also coincided with a fierce attack by police on anti-government protesters in Islamabad, and a warning to outspoken opposition leader and deposed former prime minister Nawaz Sharif that police will intervene to prevent him meeting deposed chief justice Iftikhar Chaudhry, currently under house arrest with other members of his family in what was his official residence in the capital. The action by the country's potent lawyers' movement, which has been in the vanguard of opposition to Musharraf since he first tried to sack Chaudhry in March, is seen as potentially crippling and highly damaging to Pakistan. Founded on strong British legal traditions, and still maintaining many of them, the courts are central to most aspects of life in Pakistan. With them effectively not operating because lawyers will not appear before judges who have taken the new oath of office, crucial aspects of the country's life seem likely to grind to a halt. The action by office-bearers of the Supreme Court Bar Association as well as representatives of provincial bar councils and presidents of high court bar associations from across the country was taken after Musharraf's Law Ministry formally announced the dismissal of dozens of judges and other law officers who refused to take the oath of office demanded of them after the Nov. 3 declaration of the emergency. In addition to refusing to appear before so-called "tainted" judges who have signed the new oath, the lawyers say they are planning non-stop protests and demonstrations aimed at trying to force the Government to retreat over the sacking of almost 70 judges who refused to pledge themselves to the regime by taking the oath. "We led the protest movement when Musharraf tried to sack the chief justice in March, and millions of people came out on to the streets to support us then. We believe that millions will come out to support us again in our demand for the restoration of the sacked judges," a senior member of the Lahore bar said last night. "Musharraf has taken on the lawyers, and the lawyers' movement is prepared to do battle with him." Earlier, Sharif announced that he will defy police and try to visit Chaudhry at the government house in Islamabad where he remains under house arrest, with members of his family, more than a month after he was deposed from the Supreme Court bench. Chaudhry is being held incommunicado behind armed police lines and barbed wire barricades. Sharif said he would defy the government and try to reach Chaudhry, but he was immediately warned by police commanders that if he tried to do so, he would be arrested. In a major show of strength yesterday, police repeatedly charged a group of hundreds of anti-government demonstrators who gathered in one of Islamabad's most crowded bazaars, lashing out with bamboo sticks, known as lathis, at protesters shouting "Go, Musharraf, go."