K-P lawyers’ strike enters third week

The ongoing strike by the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Bar Council (K-PBC) against the amendments to the Civil Procedure Code (CPC) entered its third week on Monday, with litigants facing increasing problems as their cases keep getting adjourned without any hearings.

However, a case against the amendments is expected to be heard by the Peshawar High Court (PHC) today (Tuesday).

The lawyers have boycotted all case hearings as a protest against amendments made to the CPC on the call of K-PBC. The litigants faced extreme difficulties as the proceedings could not be conducted.

Subsequently, the number of pending cases is increasing gradually as the lawyers have been boycotting the courts since October 17.

They are not pursuing cases in the lower courts as well as the PHC. The strike, which has been going on for the past 24 days, has hampered progress in most cases.

The litigants have to return disappointed every time and criminal suits have been affected too. The litigants have demanded of the government to immediately resolve the issue through dialogue with the lawyers so that they call off the strike and restart hearings.

The K-PBC had formed a committee of the bar council which held several meetings with government representatives, who promised that amendments will be made to the CCP in line with the recommendations made by the committee to reverse controversial changes made in the law last year.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 11^th, 2020.