Pak lawyers angry with Sharif for his U-turn

The lawyers community, led by Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) President Aitzaz Ahsan, is not prepared to lend its support to Nawaz Sharifs election campaign, although he made the restoration of the deposed judges his top priority.

Islamabad, Dec 13 : The lawyers community, led by Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) President Aitzaz Ahsan, is not prepared to lend its support to Nawaz Sharif's election campaign, although he made the restoration of the deposed judges his top priority.

Top echelons in the fraternity have decided that even a slight reflection of its endorsement to the PML-N's agenda would make a huge dent in the cause of restoration of the pre-November 3 judiciary.

The PML-N's decision to take part in the elections despite its earlier stand to the contrary has left most lawyers disappointed.

"Nawaz Sharif may be sincere in his demand but endorsing his election agenda overtly by lawyers would mean damaging the legal fraternity's campaign for the restoration of the deposed judges," a top lawyers' leader said.

He explained that the community would side with those political parties boycotting the elections.

Taking part in the elections would mean validating the PCO and putting the cause of restoration of the deposed judges on the back burner.

Nawaz Sharif, according to the lawyers' assessment, may win 50 to 80 seats in the National Assembly.

In such a scenario, it is said, endorsing the PML-N and then ending up winning only 50 to 80 seats in the National Assembly would allow the government to say that the people have given their verdict against the restoration of the judges.

There are many in the lawyers' community who believes that Sharif is also playing politics and is not sincere with the judiciary, The News reported.

Presently, the likes of Imran Khan, Qazi Hussain Ahmad and Mehmud Khan Achakzai are heroes of the lawyers' community, because they are quite vociferous in their demand for restoring the deposed judges.

Sharif, too, was most popular but his decision to jump into the election fray leaving the APDM high and dry had changed the lawyers' mood against him.

The lawyers' community has drawn up battle lines; though, the PML-N would still try to woo them and continue pressing its demand for the restoration of the deposed judges.

ANI