Lawyers' Movement

Quick Facts: Who was Lawyers' Movement?

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Lawyers' Movement

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Mass protest movement in Pakistan demanding judicial independence after 2007 suspension.

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2Day Chrono-Wiki & Primary Historical Archives

Origins & Early Life

The Lawyers' Movement (Urdu: وکلا کی تحریک, romanized: Wakala ki Tahrik), also known as the Movement for the Restoration of Judiciary or the Black Coat Protests, was the popular mass protest movement initiated by the lawyers of Pakistan in response to the former president and army chief Pervez Musharraf's actions of 9 March 2007 when he unconstitutionally suspended Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry as the chief justice of Pakistan's Supreme Court. Following the suspension of the chief justice, the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) declared the judge's removal as an "assault on the independence of judiciary" and was backed by several political parties. In the first few months of 2007, several conflicts had already raged between chief justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry and the Pakistani government. Chaudhry had worked hard to clear a backlog of cases at the Supreme Court and had "[taken] on politically controversial issues", particularly with regard to the Pakistan Steel Mills corruption case where the chief justice ruled against the sale of the state-owned steel mills at a "throw-away price". Issues pertaining to the privatisation of the state-owned steel mills upset Shaukat Aziz, who served as the prime minister under the Musharraf administration.

Career & Major Achievements

What irked president Pervez Musharraf however was the controversial Missing Persons case that found Pakistan's intelligence agencies (including the FIA and the ISI) to be complicit in the forced disappearances of up to 400 people (including terror suspects and human rights activists) without due process since 2001. Under Chaudhry's leadership, the courts had increasingly started "exercising independence from the government" when it ordered the security agencies to produce the missing people in court. When the Musharraf administration asked the judge to quit, Chaudhry refused to go. On 9 March 2007, Musharraf had no other choice but to suspend Chaudhry from his post for alleged and unspecified charges of misconduct and misuse of authority. The sacking of the head of the judiciary sparked bloody protests throughout Pakistan and "edged the country towards a constitutional crisis".

Enduring Legacy & Impact

The civil unrest grew with regards to the validity of the allegations as well as doubts as to whether Musharraf had the power to suspend the chief justice. It was on these grounds that Chaudhry waged a legal battle in the Supreme Court seeking his reinstatement. He called his suspension a "thinly veiled assault on the independence of judiciary in Pakistan". Chaudhry's suspension was met with protests from Pakistan's legal community. Senior judges and lawyers initiated the Adliya Bachao Tehreek (Urdu: عدلیہ بچاؤ تحریک; Save the Judiciary Movement) with the aim of getting Chaudhry reinstated and maintain the independence of the judiciary.

Chronological Milestones & Life Events

1. 2001: 2001 Milestone — What irked president Pervez Musharraf however was the controversial Missing Persons case that found Pakistan's intelligence agencies (including the FIA and the ISI) to be complicit in the forced disappearances of up to 400 people (including terror suspects and human rights activists) without due process since 2001.
2. 2007: 2007 Milestone — The Lawyers' Movement (Urdu: وکلا کی تحریک, romanized: Wakala ki Tahrik), also known as the Movement for the Restoration of Judiciary or the Black Coat Protests, was the popular mass protest movement initiated by the lawyers of Pakistan in response to the former president and army chief Pervez Musharraf's actions of 9 March 2007 when he unconstitutionally suspended Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry as the chief justice of Pakistan's Supreme Court.

Notable Quotes by Lawyers' Movement

“He called his suspension a "thinly veiled assault on the independence of judiciary in Pakistan".”

Historical Fact-Check Quiz: Lawyers' Movement

True or False: “The Lawyers' Movement was solely initiated by opposition political parties rather than the legal fraternity.”

Answer (FALSE ❌): The movement was primarily initiated by senior judges and lawyers through the Adliya Bachao Tehreek to protect judicial independence.

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Frequently Asked Questions about Lawyers' Movement