Ohio State Bar Assn. President: Be Proud Of Pakistan's Lawyers

COLUMBUS (TDB) -- Those are Pakistani lawyers -- the people in black suits and ties -- in the street protesting Gen. Pervez Musharraf's declaration of emergency that suspended the constitution. A BBC photographer caught riot police attacking the lawyers as they demanded Musharraf restore the rule of law. Ohio State Bar Association President Richard F. Ware has issued a statement pledging solidarity with the attorneys of Pakistan, and noted that a fair and impartial legal system, with independent judges, is at the heart of any free and democratic society. He said Musharraf's orders to detain judges and remove the chief justice were tantamount to dictatorship.

"We should all take notice of who it is that is standing up for the rule of law in Pakistan. Pakistani lawyers and judges, at great personal risk, are demanding that the government stop its assault on the legal system. Lawyers and judges around the work stand with their colleagues in Pakistan in support of the rule of law."

Ware said the crisis represents an opportunity for Ohio's lawyers to explain the importance of an independent legal system in a free society.

"The OSBA encourages all people to respect the rule of law. It is a vital and fundamental aspect of a free society and a principle of democracy that all citizens should understand and expect as a way of life. I encourage all OSBA members, and especially lawyers and judges, to share with their colleagues, friends and neighbors the importance of this fundamental precept of a free society. As the guardians of the Constitution and the rule of law, our role in reaching out to all citizens is ever more important today."