Murdered lawyers: City courts deserted as boycott continues
No cases were heard in the city courts on Tuesday because the members of the Karachi Bar Association (KBA) and the Malir Bar Association observed a boycott over the murders of two lawyers at Musharraf Colony on Saturday.
Both associations and the Sindh Bar Council (SBC) held a rally and sit-in on MA Jinnah road and shouted slogans against the government. The lawyers criticised the law-enforcement agencies for the terrible law and order situation. They shouted slogans against Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah and Federal Interior Minister Rehman Malik and demanded their resignation.
The lawyers demanded security for the legal fraternity and compensation for the families of murdered lawyers. The lawyers asked for arms licenses for their protection. They demanded a judicial notice of the target killings of the two lawyers, Altaf Hussain and Nazar Abbas, who were targeted near their house.
The KBA general secretary, Syed Haider Imam Rizvi, said that the KBA, the SBC and the Malir Bar will hold a sit-in on the National Highway on Wednesday.
Rizvi said that a joint press statement will be held on Thursday along with the three bars of Sindh and the Pakistan Bar council, at the Sindh Bar Council office.
“On Wednesday, we will observe a black day and the courts will hear only urgent cases while routine hearings will not take place,” said Rizvi. “We demand Rs3 million in compensation for those who were killed and Rs1 million for those who were injured, along with free medical facilities for the lawyers,” said Rizvi.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 25th, 2011.
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