Lawyers mark tragic events of May 12, 2007

Lawyers throughout the country boycotted court proceedings to mark anniversary of all those killed on May 12.

QUETTA/PESHAWAR:

Four years ago, on May 12, Karachi became witness to orchestrated mayhem when gunmen took to the streets on Sharae Faisal, running wild, leaving behind countless corpses and injured bodies as the authorities stood silently by and watched the terror unfold. There was no accountability for the innumerable lives lost that day.

To mark the death anniversary of all those who were killed in the violence that unfortunate day, lawyers throughout the country boycotted court proceedings on Thursday.

Responding to the call of the Balochistan Bar Association (BBA), lawyers in Balochistan refrained from appearing before the courts, while all the cases in the sessions and civil courts and those before the judicial magistrates were adjourned to the next date of hearing. The courts wore a completely deserted look.

A condolence reference was held at the Balochistan Bar room in Quetta. The lawyers paid tribute to the martyrs of the May 12 havoc. Lawyers unanimously adopted a resolution in which they demanded a judicial inquiry into the matter and for all those responsible for the mass killings to be exposed.

Addressing the lawyers’ gathering, BBA President Baz Mohamad Kakar and General Secretary Aminullah criticised the government and the judiciary for their failure to arrest the culprits involved in the killing of lawyers and political workers. “The judiciary and the government must disclose why they are observing silence over the brutal killings,” said Mohammad. He alleged that the people behind the May 12 violence were
still part of the coalition government and were enjoying their ministries.

Meanwhile, lawyers in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) have demanded that the chief justice of Pakistan (CJ) take suo motu notice of the May 12, 2007 mayhem and order an inquiry into the incident to take to task all those who were responsible.

Lawyers all across K-P boycotted courts in to mark May 12 as a Black Day on the call of the lawyers’ bodies. Court proceedings in Peshawar and other parts of the province remained suspended due to the lawyers’ boycott and no cases were heard.

The lawyers also held a public meeting on the Peshawar High Court premises under the aegis of the Peshawar High Court Bar Association.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 13^th, 2011.