Lawyers to hold protest today

Bar councils across the country and other bodies representing lawyers have decided to stage a protest today against the Legal Framework Order (LFO) under which President Pervez Musharraf announced drastic changes to the country's constitution.

The Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) will be joined by bar associations from across the country in the protest.

The president of the SCBA, Hamid Khan, said nobody except parliament had the right to make changes in the constitution.

He has also warned that a similar LFO, introduced in 1970 by then president General Yahya Khan, led to the disintegration of the country and the establishment of Bangladesh.

Representatives of other bar councils, announcing protests, felt that the setting up of the national security council (NSC) had created a permanent mechanism for the military to interfere in the running of affairs in the country.

The decision taken by the lawyers to boycott courts and stage protest meetings suggests they are determined to continue their campaign against the military regime.

The lawyers have remained on a collision course with the government, with protest rallies broken up in Lahore, Rawalpindi and other cities on several occasions during this year.