A Fight for the Rule of Law: Pakistan Lawyers Delegation in Washington

Highlight Podcast (mp3, 00:07:47)

A discussion with three lawyers who pioneered the lawyers’ movement resisting President Musharraf’s sacking of the Chief Justice and pushing for the restoration of the judiciary.

Featured guests included:
 

• Hamid Khan is a legal scholar, Supreme Court lawyer, former President of the Pakistan Supreme Court Bar Association and the Senior Vice President of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, a political party. Mr. Khan was a member of the defense team that successfully advocated for Chief Justice Iftikar M. Chaudhry’s reinstatement in July 2007. He also argued the case against President Musharraf—contesting his eligibility to stand for presidential elections—that precipitated the November 3, 2007 declaration of emergency rule. Mr. Khan has authored several authoritative texts on Pakistani constitutional law.

  Muneer A. Malik is the former President of the Supreme Court Bar Association of Pakistan, a position he held from October 2006 to October 2007. During his tenure, Chief Justice Chaudhry was removed from office by President Musharraf. Mr. Malik was among the senior lawyers who openly defied the move and led his peers in their struggle to oppose it. As a result, he was arrested and imprisoned in the notorious Attock Jail under supervision of the ISI. He was only released due to massive local and international pressure.

  Sahibzada Anwar Hamid is a Senior Advocate of the Supreme Court. He previously served as Secretary of the Supreme Court Bar Association of Pakistan and was serving as the Vice President of the Supreme Court Bar Association when President Musharraf placed Chief Justice Chaudhry on inactive status on March 9, 2007. After the declaration of emergency rule, Mr. Hamid was arrested at his home and held in detention for fifteen days.

Moderated by
Rick Barton, Co-Director, PCR Project, CSIS