Aitzaz admits differences with PPP leadership over judges

ISLAMABAD (Agencies) - PPP leader and SCBA President Aitzaz Ahsan has said that he had differences with the leadership over the judges' issue.
However, he expressed the hope that deposed Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry will be restored. "If the Prime Minister orders, all the deposed judges can be restored within three minutes", the SCBA President observed.
In an interview with a private TV channel on Tuesday Aitzaz said that the PPP and PML-N failed to restore the judges and could not fulfill their promise in this regard which had created disappointment among he people.  He made it clear that he was against curtailing power of the Chief Justice.
To a question, he said that there were differences among the members of the Constitution committee over settling the status of the PCO judges.
To another question, he said that the lawyers would finalise future line of action in their meeting on May 17.
Aitzaz Ahsan said that PPP disappointed the nation by not fulfilling its promise with regard to reinstatement of deposed judges and that the struggle of legal fraternity have achieved its objective twice once on July 20, 2007 and second on 18 February 2008 while it would be reached on the verge of success third time soon. "Our first success was when Supreme Court of Pakistan gave its verdict in support of Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry on July 20, 2007 and second when people of the country gave their verdict against President Pervez Musharraf and its associates in Feb 18 elections", he said.
"We will win third time Inshaallah and deposed judges including Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhary would be reinstated. Our struggle would reach on the verge of success soon", he said.
The legal fraternity have not stopped anyone to control inflation, skyrocketing prices of commodities, reduce prices of petroleum and eliminate unemployment and poverty but we have suspended our struggle for 42 days sothat problems could not be created for newly elected government, he said. Answering a question, he said, "I have very good relations with PPP for last 40 years. PPP is my family and no one can break my relations with PPP. I faced enormous difficulties for PPP. I have sought party ticket to contest by elections, which was my right. I have differences with party leadership and every party has differences which speaks beauty of democracy".
Aitzaz added that the PPP had disappointed the nation by not fulfilling its promise with regard to reinstatement of deposed judges. "The decision to boycott elections was wrong. I was bound to follow decision of Pakistan Bar Council to boycott the elections, as I advised lawyers not to boycott elections", he remarked.  
Before and during Feb 18 elections, he said, the Parliament and government were under control of President Pervez Musharraf therefore the lawyers were against elections.