In solidarity: Lawyers observe strike against Mardan blast

National Party president says the attack was a failure of foreign policy

SWABI/ PESHAWAR/ BANNU: The lawyers observed a complete strike across the province on Saturday to condemn the attack on the district courts  in Mardan. The strike was called by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Bar Council and Peshawar High Court Bar Association.

The lawyers’ community from PHC and the districts courts gathered in the lawn of the high court to offer funeral prayers in absentia for the victims. As a sign of protest the lawyers wore black bands on their arms.

In Bannu, the lawyers held an emergency meeting with the president of Bannu Bar Association. They urged the government to take steps to counter such acts of terrorism in future.

Swabi

On the other hand, in Swabi, court proceedings were boycotted on the call of PHCBA. The lawyers in Swabi also went to Mardan to pray for the deceased.

Moreover, a joint conference was held to denounce the attack in Mardan. The leaders of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl held the conference.

The president of National Party, Mukhtar Bacha, has also expressed concerns over the loss of innocent lives in Mardan. He was of the view that the attack was a failure of the foreign policy, a press release issued on Saturday. He added the government needed to review its foreign policy, particularly with Afghanistan.

He was quoted as saying that there was no more space for further adventures on the Afghan front.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 4^th, 2016.