New awards for CJ, deposed judges | Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF)

Pakistan Press Foundation

New awards for CJ, deposed judges

ISLAMABAD: The Commonwealth Judicial Education Institute has announced Award of Honour for deposed chief justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry and his brother judges who refused to swear allegiance to Musharraf.

The institute has also pledged to sensitize the issue of restoration of judges by pressing the newly-elected lawmakers in this regard. It has termed it a great damage done by President Musharraf to democracy in Pakistan by removing Justice Chaudhry and other bold judges.

Sandra E Oxner, a top institute official, has conveyed the granting of the award through a letter and offered all sort of help if it could help in the restoration of judges.

“In addition to our other efforts to influence the restoration of the proper judiciary of Pakistan, we have created a special Award of Honour for you and your colleagues who so nobly and unselfishly exhibited great judicial valour in upholding the Constitution. Please let me know of anything else we can do to be of support,” the letter said.

It said the administration of the institute failed to directly contact Justice Chaudhry therefore it later decided to intimate Justice Chaudhry through Athar Minallah, his confidant.

“I have been very distressed at my inability to get through to you since the beginning of the Pakistan judicial crisis.

We have been able to contact Justice Jillani, Justice Rabbani, Justice Khosa and Justice Alam and I hope you may know from one of them of our attempts to be supportive and helpful to you,” the letter said.

“I was only today (Friday) put in touch with Athar Minallah and it is through his kindness that I am able to send this message,” it said.

“We have also prepared a small leaflet on our perception of the damage to democracy done by your and your colleagues’ removal from the Bench. And we are planning to circulate that to all the members of the new parliament next week along with an appeal for them to restore the judiciary,” the letter said.

“We also will give notification of our Award of Honour to you and the respect in which you are held internationally.”
Source: The News
Date:2/23/2008