Balochistan lawyers boycott courts

Lawyers boycotted court proceedings throughout Balochistan on Monday to protest the kidnapping of their colleague from Khuzdar district.

Munir Ahmed Mirwani, General Secretary of the Jhalawan Bar Association, was abducted at gunpoint by unidentified men on June 17. His disappearance prompted the Balochistan Bar Association (BBA) to announce a strike during a press conference on June 25. BBA President Baz Muhammed Kakar had warned that if the government failed to ensure safe recovery of Mirwani, they would prolong their strike.

Talking to The Express Tribune, Kakar said the lawyers would continue their strike until Mirwani was safely released. “This is not the first incident of a lawyer being kidnapped. Earlier, a lawyer of the Balochistan High Court, Muhammad Iftikhar, was abducted by armed men from Quetta in broad daylight,” he said. Kakar said the situation, particularly in Balochistan, was worsening and people were concerned about their security.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 29^th, 2010.