ISLAMABAD, Dec 06: Naib ameer Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan Senator Prof. Khurshid Ahmad has paid tributes to the historic and heroic struggle of the legal community and the Juges who have refused to bow down to the illegal commands of a dictator. In a statement on Thursday the JI central leader acknowledged the contributions and sacrifices of Aitizaz Ahsan, President, Supreme Court Bar Council and expressed his reservtions about the third option which Aitizaz Ahsan has spelled out in his letter from the sub-jail.

Prof. Khurshid Ahmad emphasised that the issue of restoration of judiciary is crucial to the entire process of movement towards genuine democracy in the counry. Elections are only a means to this end and if elections are held under the shadow of a regime and a judiciary that lack legitimacy and confidence of the people how can the elections be fair and how can we expect the products of these elections to restore and reinstate the higher judiciary. "Elections must be held", Prof. Khurshid Ahmad said, "but they must only be held under a framework of complete restoration of Constitution and judicary and are organized by a truly independent and neurtral Election Commission under an impartial interim Governmet".

Without that, according to Prof. Khurshid Ahmad, the elections would be a farce and a ladder to extend the rule of usurpers and destroyers of the Constituion and the Judiciary. He pleaded that the only target we all should pursue, is to concentrate on the restoration of the Constitution and the Higher Judiciary and only after that we should proceed for elections. (#)

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