Aitzaz’s withdrawal of nomination papers: Lawyers rally to Aiwan-e-Adal today

[Aarwaa]

Aitzaz’s withdrawal of nomination papers: Lawyers rally to Aiwan-e-Adal today

Staff Report

LAHORE: Lawyers of the city have planned to take a procession to Aiwan-e-Adal today (Saturday) to accompany Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) president Aitzaz Ahsan’s counsel, Advocate Shaukat Ali Javed, when he will withdraw Ahsan’s nomination papers for the general elections, Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) member Ramzan Chaudhry said at a press conference on Friday.

The decision that Javed would withdraw Ahsan’s papers on his behalf was taken after reports that Ahsan, who is under house arrest, would not be allowed to go to the courts to withdraw his papers. Ahsan had filed nomination papers for NA-124.

Chaudhry said that hundreds of lawyers across the country had decided to follow the lawyers’ National Action Committee (NAC) decision of boycotting the elections. He said they would withdraw their nomination papers on December 15 (today), the last day for withdrawal of nomination papers.

NAC chairman Mirza Aziz Akbar Baig had announced the elections boycott at the All Pakistan Lawyers’ Convention last week. He had asked all lawyers to withdraw their papers in protest against what he called “farce elections”. He said the elections were meaningless without the reinstatement of the judiciary as it was before November 3.

PBC member Ramzan Chaudhry, who was confident of getting a ticket from the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) for NA-129, has also announced that he would withdraw his nomination papers. PBC media adviser Muhammad Azhar Siddique had submitted his papers for PP-152, but has also decided to take back his papers. Save Judiciary Committee chairman Abdul Rasheed Qureshi, a candidate for PP-154, has also decided not to contest the polls.

Javed told Daily Times that Mukhtar Mai would also reach Aiwan-e-Adal at 11am to accompany him when he withdraws Ahsan’s nomination papers.