Pakistani Army should retaliate if Pakistan is attacked, without waiting for the government to give its consent, said Lahore Bar Association (LBA) president Shehzad Hassan Shaikh on Thursday.
He was addressing lawyers and traders in front of the Punjab Assembly during a protest against the November 26 Nato attack.
Shaikh said that the army should not wait for the government because it was only thinking about its own interests and “how to earn dollars”.
The LBA president said that the lawyers had saved the country from a dictator, former president Pervez Musharraf, and would do all they can to save the country from “the international terrorist, America”. “The lawyers’ community declares war against America,” Shaikh said. He also asked traders, transporters and lawyers to observe a strike on December 11. Farhad Ali Shah, LBA general secretary, said that those who had attacked the army check post should be tried in Pakistan.
“If Aafia Siddiqui can be tried and convicted in America why can’t the Nato attackers be tried in Pakistan?,” he said. He also demanded that the American embassy and the US consulate general staff be directed to leave Pakistan.
“We will be on the streets until America is boycotted,” the general secretary said. Shah added that he had asked the Punjab Bar Council to convene All Pakistan Lawyers Convention to constitute a strategy for rallying against America.
Other speakers said that the whole nation was with the Pakistan Army and demanded that the government tell America to vacate Shahbaz Airbase too.
Earlier, the Lahore Bar Association held a meeting of its general body at Aiwan-i-Adl.
A candidate for LBA president in the upcoming elections, Advocate Numan Qureshi, while addressing the meeting, said that America was involved in the killing of Liaquat Ali Khan, Pakistan’s first prime minister.
“Not just Americans but every one who is pro-America should be expelled from Pakistan,” he said.
After the meeting, the lawyers walked from Aiwan-i-Adl to the Punjab Assembly. The Lahore Bar Association protesters were met by Lahore High Court Bar Association members and Mall Road Traders Association representatives at GPO Chowk.
The Lahore High Court on Tuesday had relaxed a ban on protests on The Mall to allow the Wednesday protest.
Former Supreme Court Bar Association president Asma Jahangir refused to address the lawyers rally at Faisal Chowk, objecting to Chief of Army Staff General Pervez Kiani’s photos on banners and placards carried by the participants.
She said she would not deliver the speech until General Kiani’s photographs were removed. At the end Jahangir left the venue without addressing the lawyers.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 2nd, 2011.
COMMENTS (11)
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Attack with what???? Even their communication equpiment don't work, according to them !!!! It would be really interesting for the Pakistani Army to be tested in the field, as their track record is rather poor !!! Started & Fought four wars, won nil and lost half of the country in the process !!! Not very smart !!!
People like you are the problem, who are brainwashed by the media and think that Pakistan does not have the capability to do this do that. Guys like you make me sick. You are saying that Pak army don't have the ability to fight US NATO forces. .lol. .this same giant US lost in Vietnam lost in Iraq and every single day a guy with a turban and a soviet era AK47 comes up and kills them, they have lost in Afghanistan hell they even lost in Cuba. And remember that if Pakistan is attacked China will side with us. Brother keep faith in ALLAH don't lose hope. "Umeed pe dunya qaim hai"
desi liberals should understand the concept of ghairat and they should wake up from day dreaming Pak fauj Zindabad
I didnt see any processions when hundreds of poor people were killed by terrorists in bomb blasts or when the honourable judge who convicted the murderer Qadri was ransacked & was forced to leave the country ???? Where were these patriots at that time?
This is creating chaos. The army is supposed to work with the government. Not go haywire with its own decisions
Would the same lawyers and traders bee happy if us expells all pakistanis and cancells their trade orders and agreements? This is all BS rhetoric
Army IS supposed to attack always when attacked upon! A violation of airspace maybe not, but as soon as someone opens fire on Pakistani citizens civil or military army is oath bound to defend them, if only the media would tell people the truth.
So the head of the Pakistani bar association is promoting the military to ignore your Constitution ---- and you wonder why people don't respect your legal system?
Every one who is pro-America should be expelled from Pakistan? All six of them?
These lawyers with general can themselves go and retaliate. Pakistani government should not escalate it into a war. Lives of our soldiers are not cheap for this kind adventurism. All decision should be with wisdom so that we do not put the lives of our soldiers in danger.
First, the Pakistani Army does not and never has waited for the government to give its consent before retaliating; and Secondly, we must be honest about our capabilities - the Pakistani Army lacks the ability to effectively confront US or NATO forces. Any such response would be dealt with rapidly and effectively and to the detriment of the Pakistani defense force. We would lose both our air-force and navy very early into any military response.