Striking prosecutors end court boycott

PHC CJ displeased with action taken by govt lawyers

PESHAWAR:

An in-court discussion between Peshawar High Court Chief Justice Ashtiak Ibrahim and the Prosecution Director General Rubin Ashraf has revealed that after successful negotiations between the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government and the Prosecution Welfare Association, government lawyers announced the end of their strike after six days, but under certain conditions.

The CJ expressed his displeasure over the prosecutors' strike, asking how they could protest during a mandatory employment period. He said this caused the entire criminal justice system to stall in K-P.

He emphasised their previous strikes had already been a headache, and now government lawyers were protesting as well. When the court summoned the prosecution DG, he said that the strike had been ongoing for six days, but had ended after successful negotiations with the government. He said all demands of prosecutors would be presented to the provincial government.

As a case was about to start, the CJ asked the additional advocate general why the prosecutors were on strike, instructing him to inform the Prosecution DG that the entire court system was at a standstill. Later, Prosecution DG Rubin Ashraf appeared in court and stated that after negotiations between Additional Home Chief Secretary Abid Maqsood, Prosecution Association President Sangin Shah, and General Secretary Javed Mehmood, the prosecution announced a conditional end to their strike.