LAW Society President, Liverpool solicitor Andrew Holroyd has lead legal professionals in a demonstration showing support for the lawyers, judges and Pakistani society who are suffering as a result of the severe restrictions placed on the judiciary and the court system by General Musharraf, in an attempt to insulate his rule from legal challenge.
Mr Holroyd's attendance at the rally, which took place opposite 10 Downing Street at the weekend and was led by Hina Jilani, a distinguished Pakistan human rights lawyer, reflects the level of concern that exists across the legal profession about the seriousness of the threat to the rule of law in Pakistan.
Andrew Holroyd, said, "The reports of the situation faced by lawyers, judges and Pakistani society as a whole make very grim reading. We attended this demonstration to provide much needed encouragement to the beleaguered human rights defenders on the ground.
"The rule of law is the cornerstone of a democratic society. I have expressed the intense level of concern that exists across the legal profession in a letters I have sent on behalf of the Law Society and our members to Pakistan's president; Pakistan's Minister for the Interior; and Pakistan's Federal Minister for Law, Justice and Human Rights to urge the Pakistani leadership to re-instate the Constitution, lift all restrictions on the judiciary, release those lawyers and judges held in detention and allow lawyers to exercise their freedom of expression and assembly.�