News
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Lawyers to boycott courts one day a week in KP
By Akhtar Amin
PESHAWAR: The provincial lawyers’ convention on Monday announced to observe boycott of courts one day a week (on Friday) across the province for recovery of their kidnapped colleagues Zain Khan Khalil and Bashir Khan Advocate.
The convention through a resolution warned the provincial and federal governments to take practical steps for safe recovery of the kidnapped lawyers forthwith; otherwise, the lawyers would be forced to siege the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the National Assembly buildings in protest.
The convention also demanded of the government to make appointments of officers on administrative posts on merit. The lawyers also supported chief justice of Pakistan’s step of authorising district and sessions’ judges to take action against corruption on complaints.
The lawyers, however, were divided over the strike issue for recovery of their kidnapped colleagues. Majority of them opposed one-day boycott of courts in the province announced by Peshawar High Court Bar Association (PHCBA) saying the community should observe three days’ complete strike from today (Tuesday) in the province. They said the PHCBA should give three days’ deadline to the provincial and federal governments to recover the kidnapped lawyers or face consequences.
Despite opposition of the lawyers, PHCBA President Syed Mohammad Attique Shah and General Secretary Aminur Rehman remained stuck to their decision to observe boycott of courts one day a week.
The PHCBA and Peshawar District Bar Association (PDBA) had called the convention to discuss growing incidents of kidnapping for ransom, corruption, missing persons’ issue and failure of the provincial government to protect legal fraternity. Lawyers from various districts including Mardan, Swabi, Buner, Swat, Charsadda, Nowshera, Kohat, Karak and other districts participated.
Addressing the convention, PHCBA General Secretary Aminur Rehman said that after lawyers’ movement for independence of judiciary, five senior lawyers of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa including Sardar Khan (Peshawar), Yawar Salim (Haripur), Amir Mohammad Khan (Swabi), Jamil Khan (Temargara) and Ihsanul Haq (Hangu), were killed and four were kidnapped for ransom. Out of four kidnapped lawyers, two including Jamroz Khan and Hamid Shehzad were released by kidnapers after their families paid Rs 1 million ransom.
PHCBA President Syed Mohammad Attique Shah said that it was constitutional obligation of the government to protect citizens, in which the government had failed.
KP Bar Council Vice Chairman Mohammad Iqbal Hoti, PDBA President Razaullah Khan, Supreme Court Bar Association Vice President Arif Khan, Swabi bar president Arshad Khan, Karak bar president Jan-e-Alam and Takht Bhai bar president Qamar Zaman addressed.
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk