Aitzaz Ahsan to be honoured by US lawyers.

By Khalid Hasan
WASHINGTON: The annual Award for Distinction in International Law and Affairs will be presented to Aitzaz Ahsan in asbentia this week as more than 5,000 lawyers gather for the annual meeting of the New York State Bar Association (NYSBA).The International Law and Practice Section is giving its annual award for distinction in international law and affairs to Aitzaz Ahsan, who is viewed as a worthy representative of lawyers and judges in Pakistan. The NYSBA said Ahsan, president of the Pakistan Supreme Court Bar Association, has been under frequent arrest for his efforts to restore Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry as chief justice, noting that Pakistan’s legal and judicial community has been in conflict with the country’s leadership since President Pervez Musharraf suspended the constitution and replaced seven of the Supreme Court’s 11 judges. Earlier this month, the New York City Bar Association granted honorary membership to Chaudhry. In November, the city and state bars, as well as the New York County Lawyers Association, organised a rally, attended by about 700 people, at the Manhattan Supreme Court in support of Pakistan’s lawyers and judges.