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Leading Pakistan lawyer resigns Leading Pakistan lawyer resigns
(about 4 hours later)
A top Pakistani lawyer has resigned as the head of a lawyers' association after attorneys attacked a former cabinet minister.A top Pakistani lawyer has resigned as the head of a lawyers' association after attorneys attacked a former cabinet minister.
Aitzaz Ahsan resigned after lawyers joined a crowd to beat to assault former parliamentary affairs minister Sher Afgan Niazi. Aitzaz Ahsan resigned after lawyers joined a crowd to assault former Parliamentary Affairs Minister Sher Afgan Niazi.
Mr Niazi was shaken but unhurt.Mr Niazi was shaken but unhurt.
Mr Ahsan played a key role in turning the ousted chief justice, Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry, into a symbol of resistance against President Musharraf. Mr Ahsan successfully defended the then chief justice Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry last year against an attempt by President Musharraf to fire him.
Mr Ahsan resigned as President of the Supreme Court Bar Association after lawyers joined a crowd of people which surrounded Mr Niazi, jostling him, and trying to beat him with their hands and shoes. This helped to turn Mr Chaudhry - who was finally ousted in November under emergency rule - into a symbol of resistance against the President.
Mr Ahsan said he wanted to disassociate himself from the assault. Mr Ahsan resigned as president of the Supreme Court Bar Association on Tuesday, after lawyers joined a crowd of people which surrounded Mr Niazi, jostled him and tried to beat him with their hands and shoes.
He rose to prominence last year when he acted as chief counsel for judge Iftikhar Chaudhry, the chief justice President Musharraf suspended in March and finally ousted in November under emergency rule. Mr Ahsan said he wanted to disassociate himself from the incident.
The BBC's Ilyas Khan says that Mr Ahsan tried to prevent the assault, even climbing onto the roof of the ambulance that took Mr Niazi away, in an attempt to stop the vehicle from being attacked.
In a separate incident on Monday, the outgoing Chief Minister of Sindh province, Arbab Rahim, was assaulted by a crowd inside the Sindh assembly, when he went there to take his oath as assembly member.
Our correspondent says these two incidents have embarrassed Pakisan's new coalition government.