Sunday, July 31, 2011

Lawyers boycott courts, protest killings of colleagues

* Legal fraternity demands action against Sindh home secretary, police chief

KARACHI: Lawyers’ bodies have demanded of the Interior Minister Rehman Malik to take action against Sindh Home Secretary, Inspector General of Police Sindh and Karachi Police chief for not providing security to city lawyers despite repeated requests by the Karachi Bar Association (KBA).
On Saturday, members of the Sindh High Court Bar Association (SHCBA), KBA and Malir District Bar Association staged a protest demonstration on MA Jinnah Road against killing of Advocates Fahim Riaz Siddiqui and Saleem Bhatti, both associated with Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz Lawyers Wing.
They observed boycott of legal proceedings at City Courts & Malir District Courts and took out a rally from KBA office. Chanting slogans, protesting lawyers flayed the government for its inaction to stop the unabatedly increasing incidents of legal fraternity members’ killings in recent past.
Earlier, addressing a general body meeting of KBA members, President Sindh High Court Bar Association Anwar Mansoor Khan blamed that the government was behind the gruesome killings of lawyers community to harass them and dissuade them from supporting any pro-judiciary movement that may re-emerge as a result of recent confrontation between the government and apex judiciary.
“The government is deliberately and continuously disobeying the orders of the Supreme Court under one or other pretext, therefore, we presume that the government’s involvement in such incidents to harass the lawyers from waging any movement that may be waged as a result of prevailing situation.”
Khan said that in order to dispel such impression the government should forthwith arrest the culprits involved in killings of all lawyers and take stringent measures to end this gruesome episode.
KBA President Muhammad Aqil made a call for a three-day protest and strike at higher court and subordinate courts. On Monday, a joint general body comprising members of SHC, KBA and Malir District Bar Associations will be held at SHCBA premises to chalk out future course of action. Later, lawyers will march towards Chief Minister House to stage a protest.
He stated that KBA had asked Sindh Home Secretary, IGP Sindh and Capital City Police Officer Karachi for providing security to lawyers, who were facing life threats from unknown criminals. “For the last three days, I was constantly calling Sindh Home Secretary to talk to him over this matter, but he never attended the telephone calls, he alleged. ppi

Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk

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