Lawyers boycott court proceedings

The lawyers fraternity on Tuesday observed a complete boycott of court proceedings against the brutal murder of senior lawyer and former president of Supreme Court Bar Association Abdul Latif Afridi.

The strike call had been given by Pakistan Bar Council and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Bar Council.

The lawyers’ strike completely disrupted the court proceedings across the province and created difficulties for litigants.

Lawyers demanded of the police and provincial government to ensure security of the lawyers and take strict action against those involved in attacks at lawyers across the province as in recent days, several advocates have been killed in attacks in Peshawar and other parts of the province.

They demanded enforcement of Lawyers Protection Act in the province and said that the procedure of issuance of arms licence should be made easier so that lawyers could get arms licences for self defence.

They also paid homage to the services of the late Latif Afridi. Strict security arrangements had been taken in Peshawar High Court as the courts presented a deserted look.

Meanwhile the last rites of Latif Afridi were offered at Bagh-e-Naran Hayatabad. Later he was laid to rest in his ancestral graveyard.

The funeral prayers were attended by Chief Justice PHC Justice Qaisar Rasheed, high court judges, Federal Law Minister Nazir Tarar, lawyers, politicians, and the general public.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 18^th, 2023.