The protest was supported – in silence – by judges of the lower courts who later told the higher judiciary of their feeling of extreme insecurity.
Senior Civil Judge Zameer Ahmed Naqvi reportedly left his residence in Gulberg Town at around 8 am along with his family. He was driving when two unidentified attackers drew up, fired a number of shots and fled. Naqvi was hit in the upper torso and the forearm and was admitted to a hospital.
When the news spread to the city courts, lawyers and staff members boycotted the court proceedings. The staff locked the courts and was joined by lawyers in their protest.
Under-trial prisoners who were arriving to the courts in prison vans were sent back and hundreds of cases were adjourned but litigants got no new dates for future proceedings.
Work at the Sindh High Court (SHC) was also suspended after 10:30 am as senior lawyers protested. They asked the SHC administration to suspend the work in protest over the attack on a judge, which they considered a continuation of the attacks on members of the judiciary.
SHC Chief Justice Musheer Alam took notice of the attack and asked the Sindh Police inspector general to file a report and arrange for the government to take care of the treatment of the injured.
The chief justice also appointed the District and Sessions Judge East to monitor the security situation for judges and court premises.
Karachi Bar Association’s general secretary told The Express Tribune said that all assurances of security and protection to life by law enforcement agencies vanishes in thin air when such incidents take place.
He warned that after lawyers, judges appear to be the next target. He asked the government to act to protect citizens.
Lawyers of other bar associations, including the Malir Bar Association, also ended work.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 31st, 2012.
COMMENTS
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ