Law Soc heads for Pakistan crisis meeting

The Law Society is set to meet Pakistan’s High Commissioner to call for the release of lawyers and judges imprisoned in the country.

Representatives from the Bar Council and the Association of Muslim Lawyers will also be present at the meeting next week.

The three organisations are leading calls for the Pakistani government to reinstate members of the legal community jailed in the recent constitutional crisis.

The Law Society had asked for a meeting with President Musharraf, who is visiting London next week, but was told he was unavailable.

Law Society president Andrew Holroyd said: “The Law Society continues to urge the government of Pakistan to return to an internationally recognised standard of the rule of law and to release and reinstate those lawyers and judges who remain in detention.”

Legal organisations and human rights groups have organised a protest to coincide with President Musharraf’s visit.

The Solicitor’s International Human Rights Group, the Society of Asian Lawyers and Amnesty International are holding a demonstration outside Downing Street on Saturday 26 January, and are urging as many lawyers as possible to attend.