Courts shut down due to widespread protests

Litigants, lawyers and prisoners were unable to reach courts

KARACHI: Judicial proceedings came to a grinding halt at the subordinate courts across the city on Saturday as lawyers, litigants and under-trial prisoners were not able to reach the courts as various roads in the city were blocked by religious groups.

Thousands of the cases fixed on the day at the courts and special tribunals could not be taken up due to the absence of lawyers, the litigants and prisoners. This also resulted in adjournment of important cases.

The courts wore a deserted look, as the protest by religious groups across the city led to hours-long traffic jams.

Protesters in Quaidabad, at the FTC Building and other localities barred the movement of vehicular movement.



Lawyers, prosecutors and litigating parties were unable to reach the courts, nor could the prisons’ police shift under-trial prisoners from the jails to appear in court.

Earlier in the day, the judges took up a select number of cases while most were simply adjourned.

Important cases that could not be proceeded with included trials relating to violence against and the murder of Muttahida Qaumi Movement leader Saleem Shahzad and another relating to ransacking and an attack on the police by guards of former provincial home minister Dr Zulfiqar Ali Mirza.