K-P lawyers announce ‘indefinite’ boycott of courts

Bar Council demands withdrawal of amendments made to civil procedure code

PESHAWAR: Members of a major lawyers’ body of the province on Wednesday announced a complete boycott of courts across the province as part of their protest against recent amendments to the Code of Civil Procedure (CPC) 1908, and the introduction of an anti-narcotics law by the provincial government.

The decision to boycott courts was taken in a meeting of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Bar Council on Wednesday which was attended by a large number of lawyers. During the meeting, many lawyers shared their views about the amendments.

K-P Bar Council President Latif Afridi said that the provincial government had made unnecessary amendments to the law whereby litigants will have to spend additional sums of money in cases filed under CPC 1908.

“We have informed the government [about our reservations] through various channels, but our concerns have fallen on deaf ears,” complained Afridi, adding that it had forced them to completely boycott courts across the province.

The bar council president further said that they have already challenged the amendments in court. He further urged lawyers to remain united.

Peshawar Bar Association President Taimoor Ali Shah lamented that the province has become a laboratory for the government to test out various laws while the provincial government has been using delaying tactics on the matter by constituting committees.

He claimed that during a meeting with Chief Minister Mahmood Khan in December, they were assured that the disputed amendments will be suspended for six months and that new drafts will be prepared in consultation with lawyers. He further said that the chief minister had expressed his helplessness about the narcotics law.

Shah contended that the advocate general does not have any authority and should resign from his post.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 9^th, 2020.